I don't believe that we are the dumbest generation. I believe that people portray our generation as that because we have the most technology we have ever had. I believe that us being on our phones 24/7 is a stereotype. We use phones to connect with our friends and family. Like most to all friends won't use their phones when they hang out with each other, we enjoy each others company. Saying that we are the dumbest generation is a dumb thing to say, I think that each generation gets smarter. That's why I don't think we are the "dumbest generation".

I believe our generation is not "the dumbest generation", this is because I feel like we are the most easily distracted generation. With as much technology we are involved in every day our generation lacks concentration. However, when used correctly technology has great benefits in learning and developing to go beyond just a classroom.

I believe our generation is not "the dumbest generation", this is because I feel like we are the most easily distracted generation. With as much technology we are involved in every day our generation lacks concentration. However, when used correctly technology has great benefits in learning and developing to go beyond just a classroom.

In my AP Psychology class, I have recently been studying intelligence.  The "Flynn Effect'' refers to the trend across the 20th century of the average IQ score going up.  However, in recent times that has begun to decrease. (Keep in mind that IQ is debated as a measure of intelligence, and what "intelligence tests'' should measure is also heavily debated.)  Could this be due to technology "frying our brains?" I’m not sure I would say I agree with this, but I think it’s possible. Multitasking hasn’t affected my studies, because I don’t keep my phone with me while I do homework, but it can be a big problem for others.  The internet is extremely addictive, and because of that people are not reading as much as they had in the past, which would explain how literacy scores have dropped. (It is also possible that it may have dropped due to the fact that school requirements are making it so; English classes sometimes read simplified classics.  I did personally think that the MIT students getting distracted while writing essays was a good argument for technology being connected to falling literacy rates, though, because when a person gets distracted they cannot be doing their best work, and, therefore, the work they do can't be connected to technology making them "dumber.")  It may also be somewhat impacted by social media websites, due to the fact that if one believes that the earth is flat, they can find people who believe the same thing. When people only have social contact through social media, they can select the people they want to talk with and then are only ever exposed to one specific worldview. There are some characteristics intelligent people commonly possess, and among these is the ability to hold debate well for things you may not truly believe, and understand the flaws of your beliefs.  Perhaps social media can impair that ability. Dependence on technology may also be a factor. Humans used to be able to remember thousands of lines of poetry, and now they cannot. With things such as Spell Check and online calculators readily available, it made perfect sense if our grammar abilities and math abilities waned. (This is backed by neuroscience- when the brain has neural connections it does not need, it prunes them away to make room for more necessary information. Evolution would also support this- people used to have a better memory of locations, sense of smell, and sense of hearing thousands of years ago.  This was lost because it was no longer useful.) Of course, declines in intelligence could also be due to cultural changes, academic changes, and other factors as well. Also, one could argue that new technology will eventually replace jobs such as the manufacturing industries, and people will become more intelligent again simply because jobs that require critical thinking are the only ones left around. So, it's possible that maybe there could be a decline and then average intelligence will be higher again. It probably would be difficult for me, a person who has used technology my whole life and is currently living in a time when I really need it, to judge whether or not that is the reason for the recent decline in average intelligence.  It also would be difficult for older people who are wary of recent technology to be completely unbiased either.

In my AP Psychology class, I have recently been studying intelligence.  The "Flynn Effect" refers to the trend across the 20th century of the average IQ score going up.  However, in recent times that has begun to decrease.  (Keep in mind that IQ is debated as a measure of intelligence, and what "intelligence tests" should measure is also heavily debated.)  Could this be due to technology "frying our brains?"  Possibly.  The internet is extremely addictive, and because of that people are not reading as much as they had in the past, which would explain how literacy scores have dropped.  (It also possible that it may have dropped due to the fact that school requirements are making it so; English classes sometimes read simplified classics.  I did personally think that the MIT students getting distracted while writing essays was a good argument for technology being connected to falling literacy rates, though, because when a person gets distracted they cannot be doing their best work, and, therefore, the work they do can't be connected to technology making them "dumber.")  It may also be somewhat impacted by social media websites, due to the fact that if one believes that the earth is flat, they can find people who believe the same thing.  When people only have social contact through social media, they can select the people they want to talk with and then are only ever exposed to one specific worldview.  There are some characteristics intelligent people commonly possess, and among these is the ability to hold debate well for things you may not truly believe, and understand the flaws of your beliefs.  Perhaps social media can impair that ability.  Dependence on technology may also be a factor.  Humans used to be able to remember thousands of lines of poetry, and now they cannot.  With things such as Spellcheck and online calculators readily available, it used make perfect sense if our grammar abilities and math abilities waned.  (This is backed by neuroscience- when the brain has neural connections it does not need, it prunes them away to make room for more necessary information.  Evolution would also support this- people used to have a better memory of locations, sense of smell, and sense of hearing thousands of years ago.  This was lost because it was no longer useful.)  Of course, declines in intelligence could also be due to cultural changes, academic changes, and other factors as well.  Also, one could argue that new technology will eventually replace jobs such as the manufacturing industries, and people will become more intelligent again simply because jobs that require critical thinking are the only ones left around.  So, it's possible that maybe there could be a decline and then average intelligence will be higher again.  It probably would be difficult for me, a person who has used technology my whole life and is currently living in a time when I really need it, to judge whether or not that is the reason for the recent decline in average intelligence.  It also would be difficult for older people who are wary of recent technology to be completely unbiased either.

In my AP Psychology class, I have recently been studying intelligence.  The "Flynn Effect" refers to the trend across the 20th century of the average IQ score going up.  However, in recent times that has begun to decrease.  (Keep in mind that IQ is debated as a measure of intelligence, and what "intelligence tests" should measure is also heavily debated.)  Could this be due to technology "frying our brains?"  Possibly.  The internet is extremely addictive, and because of that people are not reading as much as they had in the past, which would explain how literacy scores have dropped.  (It also possible that it may have dropped due to the fact that school requirements are making it so; English classes sometimes read simplified classics.  I did personally think that the MIT students getting distracted while writing essays was a good argument for technology being connected to falling literacy rates, though, because when a person gets distracted they cannot be doing their best work, and, therefore, the work they do can't be connected to technology making them "dumber.")  It may also be somewhat impacted by social media websites, due to the fact that if one believes that the earth is flat, they can find people who believe the same thing.  When people only have social contact through social media, they can select the people they want to talk with and then are only ever exposed to one specific worldview.  There are some characteristics intelligent people commonly possess, and among these is the ability to hold debate well for things you may not truly believe, and understand the flaws of your beliefs.  Perhaps social media can impair that ability.  Dependence on technology may also be a factor.  Humans used to be able to remember thousands of lines of poetry, and now they cannot.  With things such as Spellcheck and online calculators readily available, it used make perfect sense if our grammar abilities and math abilities waned.  (This is backed by neuroscience- when the brain has neural connections it does not need, it prunes them away to make room for more necessary information.  Evolution would also support this- people used to have a better memory of locations, sense of smell, and sense of hearing thousands of years ago.  This was lost because it was no longer useful.)  Of course, declines in intelligence could also be due to cultural changes, academic changes, and other factors as well.  Also, one could argue that new technology will eventually replace jobs such as the manufacturing industries, and people will become more intelligent again simply because jobs that require critical thinking are the only ones left around.  So, it's possible that maybe there could be a decline and then average intelligence will be higher again.  It probably would be difficult for me, a person who has used technology my whole life and is currently living in a time when I really need it, to judge whether or not that is the reason for the recent decline in average intelligence.  It also would be difficult for older people who are wary of recent technology to be completely unbiased either.

I think we definitely have a bit of a multitasking problem, though I don't feel we are the dumbest generation. I think each generation has their problems, ours just happens to be the rise in impaired judgment and more technology to be irresponsible with. The problem isn't necessarily the technology itself, but the way in which society uses it and how we teach our children to use it. The process starts with the parents and family structure/morals set in place by the parents of the household. If the parents just kick back and let their children do whatever they want with the technology given to them, you'll end up with the generation you see in today's young people. If parents set limits and boundaries, as well as teach their kids to prioritize relationships within the family and friend groups over what new trend is out there, their kids are more likely to turn out more respectable than what you see today. It's simple in concept.

Experts fear that multi-tasking distracts young people so much that it is creating people who have such short attention spans that they are unable to think well or clearly.  Therefore, they fear that this will be the "dumbest generation."  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?  Has multi-tasking affected your performance in school or your study habits or your ability to do a task well?

Despite the views of experts, it is my belief that the plethora of technology available today does not inhibit the thinking skills in young people. With the internet, many young people like myself have at our fingertips access to all the knowledge in the world. Some people may develop bad habits in regard to surfing and time spent online, but I feel as if the majority will use the internet appropriately and to their advantage. Personally, I have not seen a decline in my school work or other abilities as a result of multitasking or over usage of the internet. 

Experts fear that multi-tasking distracts young people so much that it is creating people who have such short attention spans that they are unable to think well or clearly.  Therefore, they fear that this will be the "dumbest generation."  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?  Has multi-tasking affected your performance in school or your study habits or your ability to do a task well?