Originally Posted by JayJamJah

Cool post and I agree, it's like suggesting that because we have cars there is no reason to walk, run or bike anymore. The Internet is a wonderful, but you have to know how to use it and take advantage of that know how to get anything out of it.

When I was coming up obviously no world wide web, I would spend hours in libraries going through biographies and encyclopedias, listening to records now all that stuff is a click away. Maybe I am giving myself too much credit but I feel like the internet makes me want to learn more not less. It's not good enough for me to know that information is out there, I want it in my head.

Well stated jibber.

Originally Posted by jibber

The whole argument about the internet giving this generation the liscence to be entirely unmotivated to learn about the surrounding world is a complete cop-out. It's an excuse to fall back on in lieu of admitting that people (yes, people, not just this generation) in general are getting lazy and apathetic. Apathy in my opinion is a form of stupidity. I don't consider anyone who has no curiosity or desire to learn more about the world remotely intelligent.

The internet is an incredibly powerful tool. Knowledge is knowledge, wheather it comes from a book, a tv show or the internet it all ends up the same in the end, as information stored in your brain that makes you a more aware, more informed, and yes, more intelligent person. The key here is that you have to actually internalize that knowledge. The statement that absorbing information has been made irrelevant by the internet and other media is unintelligent. So if you believe that that is a widespread feeling among this generation, then yes, I would say this generation IS less intelligent.