British Inventor Criticizes 'Brain-Dead' Google Generation
The internet, and Google specifically, is said to be making a new generation of children 'brain-dead'.
British inventor Trevor Baylis has claimed that the internet is making a new generation of children 'brain-dead' predominately due to the influence of Google.
The 75-year-old, who created the wind-up radio, says the current generation of kids are failing to learn practical skills and will subsequently be unable to create anything with their hands.
Baylis added that children are becoming overly reliant on instant Google searches, as well as expressing his concern for the next generation of inventors.
"Children have got to be taught hands-on, and not to become mobile phone or computer dependent. They are dependent on Google searches. A lot of kids will become fairly brain-dead if they become so dependent on the internet, because they will not be able to do things in the old-fashioned way."
Dr David Wood, a maths professor at Warwick University and Academic Leader of the International Gateway for Gifted Youth, disagreed with Baylis' comments.
"Far from dumbing down, from my point of view it is just the opposite. The internet is a tool and one with fantastic potential for kids if it is used properly. We use the internet to enable the brightest kids to link up with each other."
ROFL
The way I see things, the internet has enabled people to be more innovative and imaginative. We no longer need to look up research publications to see if we remembered someones theory correctly, we can have previous designs instantly available and think of possible ways to enhance them or redesign them completely without needing to devote 20 years of our life memorizing everything in existence. This enables us to "go with the flow" and let our brains continue along a spark of genius.
At some point in the past, I can imagine someone probably said the same thing about a some other inventions. "writing if for the weak of mind, you should just pass down all your knowledge via oral history." "Calculators are making people bad at math, everyone should have a slide rule burned into their memory." "Ugh no need make spear from rock and stick, Ugh kill fine with rock" etc etc etc...
While relying on Google to look stuff up may mean I'm screwed if I'm stuck in a situation where I need to know something I forgot, not having to periodically review tons of stuff I may never need to use entirely for the sake of just trying to remember it does free me up to learn other stuff that I may be more likely to need instead.
So I agree with the other guy: Google doesn't make kids dumber. Used correctly, it enables them to spend more time focusing on the actual problem they want to solve.
While relying on Google to look stuff up may mean I'm screwed if I'm stuck in a situation where I need to know something I forgot, not having to periodically review tons of stuff I may never need to use entirely for the sake of just trying to remember it does free me up to learn other stuff that I may be more likely to need instead.
So I agree with the other guy: Google doesn't make kids dumber. Used correctly, it enables them to spend more time focusing on the actual problem they want to solve.
The internet can be used to speed up the process of learning, simply put. It can also be used to market something you created with your own two hands.
The way I see things, the internet has enabled people to be more innovative and imaginative. We no longer need to look up research publications to see if we remembered someones theory correctly, we can have previous designs instantly available and think of possible ways to enhance them or redesign them completely without needing to devote 20 years of our life memorizing everything in existence. This enables us to "go with the flow" and let our brains continue along a spark of genius.
At some point in the past, I can imagine someone probably said the same thing about a some other inventions. "writing if for the weak of mind, you should just pass down all your knowledge via oral history." "Calculators are making people bad at math, everyone should have a slide rule burned into their memory." "Ugh no need make spear from rock and stick, Ugh kill fine with rock" etc etc etc...
ROFL
The Internet is the most powerful knowledge sharing tool that ever existed, and Google is quite the glue that holds it together. If it's killing brains, it's no more than TV has done for decades before computers were even invented.
Its not instant information that is reducing the overall thinking abilities of people but the lack of teaching people to think creatively, some people can just intuitively think creatively and have an environment which has nurtured it.
the education systems overall have reduced the thinking abilities of people overall when they became target focused and box ticking with students learning how to write down the correct answers for a syllabus exam rather than applying what they have been taught and being taught creatively.
critical thinking is not creative thinking, its more like learning how to shoot people down rather than work off each others ideas and its because of an emphasis on this part of creative thinking that's stifling creative thinking as people don't want to come out with ideas for how they believe others will react.
lookup Edward de bono, he has many good books on creative thinking and many of his techniques should be school curriculum.
Managing limitless knowledge and harnessing it to achieve goals simply requires a longer maturity cycle.
If anything, the upcoming generations will achieve greater things once the idiot baby boomers get out of the way and stop meddling.
made some mistakes, makes it easier to read now, half insomniated with exams in a week and hours of revision lol.
Now, it's not a steep slope of decay. The rate of this change I don't think is as severe as it could be. But one has to wonder where it is leading.
Look at this example; what have most of the innovations been? For the most part they've been on the hardware side. But they've been ideas that have been theorized for a long time. They weren't completely new ideas someone made happen, they were old ideas that were finally made to work. But what of the software side, the side that requires more immediately innovative thought? We are in a great time where scientific questions we've had for decades have been answered after long and hard work. But it doesn't seem like newer generations are asking anymore big questions. They Google their question, find an answer (which they have little clue whether it is right or not) and stop there. There are fewer and fewer who are taking the ball from there and running with it.
A) Google allows me to do things hands-on that I don't have the time or resources to learn the "old-fashioned way". Did my entire car audio install, everything from speakers/hu/sub/wiring myself, with no training or help, based entirely on information found via Google.
B) Even if he's right, what is it exactly that's wrong with being reliant on technology. It's evolution. Embrace it, or accept your obsolence.
I am a little concerned about social behavior, however. People would rather text someone than talk to them.