I should probably post it on here for those not wanting to click link....
Here you go:
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How
Super Smash Bros Has Changed Our Mind
Super
Smash Bros is a Nintendo 64 game released in 1999. It was created by HAL
laboratories and highlights a group of characters from other Nintendo games
such as, Kirby, Mario, and Zelda, as they fight to knock each other off the
stage (Wikipedia). Furthermore, it metaphorically demonstrates our dependence
on digital technology and how it has come to rule our world. The game steals
your mind, your attention, and reduces your ability to concentrate on other
activities. The internet does the same thing but in a more profound way; we are
only around a Nintendo 64 or other gaming console a few hours a day at most,
but the Internet is ingrained into everything electronic, from the mobile device
in your pocket, to the computer on your desk, to the TV in your living room.
Digital
technology rules our world; the human race has become dependent on it to work,
live, and simply function. In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
Nicholas Carr defends the position that the Internet is affecting humans
negatively by making us less analytical and unable to focus our attention. The
article “Get Smarter” by Jamais Cascio was written in response to “Is Google
Making Us Stupid?” It defends the position that current technology is causing
us to adapt, become more intelligent, and learn from new technologies.
In
his article Nicholas Carr says, “The net is becoming a universal medium, the
conduit for most of the information that flows through my eyes and ears and
into my mind.” and “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip
along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.” (Carr)
The Internet is definitely a universal
medium and a domain of free speech where information flows constantly. Almost
all of our information now flows through the Internet. 20 years ago one had to
go to the library or do independent research to find information, nowadays, by
simply typing a few words into google, Bing, or another search engine,
innumerable amounts of info can be acquired about a subject. This is a both a
boon and a disadvantage as demonstrated by Carr’s analogy to having once been a
scuba diver, and now being a guy on a Jet Ski. (Carr). He was once a scuba
diver that dove into articles and other writings as he immersed himself in the
intricacies of the prose and flowing words; nowadays, he is a guy on a jet ski that
skims over passages, quickly reading works of writing. In his article, Carr
goes on to describe effects of past technologies and how they have affected us
negatively. He uses the example of Friedrich Nietzsche and his typewriter.
Friedrich Nietzsche was a writer that had failing vision, and who was afraid he
would soon be unable to write. He bought a typewriter and after mastering the
keys, could write again. Interestingly, a friend of his found that his writing
had changed, it had become terser and more telegraphic like (Carr). If a simple
typewriter changed a prolific writer’s tone and writing style, the Internet and
the advent of computational and tablet technologies could easily alter our
fundamental thinking processes, as described by Carr.
“Get
Smarter” by Jamais Cascio explains that to avoid natural disasters and develop as
a nation, we must get smarter. Furthermore, he expands on that idea by hinting
at evolution and how we are always getting smart; the evolution of our
intelligence is an ongoing process. The internet, powerful simulations that
model the world, and drugs that allow one to study harder and focus better,
have all contributed to the evolution of the human race and our rise in
intelligence (Cascio). Additionally, our current media technology rewards the
ability to make connections to broader subjects through subtle references to
larger ideas. Scientists refer to this type of intelligence as “fluid intelligence”
and this aspect of society promotes increased intelligence. Finally, Cascio says
that our short-attention span may be solely a short-term problem and could
dissipate in future years as we become more accustomed to using the technology
(Cascio).
Nicholas
Carr is right in stating that technology has reduced our attention span and our
ability to concentrate. But even he states that we “should be skeptical of [his]
skepticism” (Carr). When the written word was developed, Plato worried that
people would “cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful.” Then, later,
when the printing press was developed, the Italian humanist Hieronimo
Squarciafico believed that the availability of books would lead to
“intellectual laziness” (Carr). Carr’s skepticism should be taken with a grain
of salt. Although it is undeniable that the Net has affected our ability to
think, it may provide us with numerous benefits that outweigh the negatives.
The
Internet has numerous benefits, such as social media, access to information,
freedom of speech, and more. The ease of connection between people created by
social media led to the revolts in Egypt and Syria against their oppressive
governments. These revolts could never have been possible without the Net. The
ease of access to information leads to an overall more knowledgeable world and
helps our society compile accurate data on numerous subjects. Additionally, the
Net is a place of free speech where people can share their experiences and find
community support on forums. Furthermore, we are able to design better experiments,
and, through the increase in technology, an idea (any idea) can be transmitted
to thousands of people through the click of a button. Do these positives
outweigh the negatives of losing our attention span and our innate ability to
concentrate and contemplate on works of writing, painting, and other works of
art?
I
believe they do. Although I tend to agree with Nicolas Carr on how the Internet
has affected us, it has provided us with benefits that outweigh the negatives.
This is similar to how the development of the written word affected us when
Plato was alive. He was right in saying that we would lose some of our ability
to remember and become forgetful; but the written word expanded the ideas and
knowledge of the average person leading to a spur in development as new ideas
could be communicated more efficiently and effectively. The printing press was
the same way, and now, so is the Internet (Carr). It has created an environment
of great knowledge, and will spur development in our world.
The
Net can be compared to Kirby from Super Smash Bros. It is an overpowered
monster that will fruit cake (Kirby’s powerful attack) everything and trump all
in its quest to progress. The Internet will make many of past technologies
useless as it takes over; examples include, cds, dvds, books, and much more. But
the Net doesn’t solely make them useless, it enhances them in an electronic
format that is better accessible to the masses. These are positives as our
society progresses and the beast that is Kirby, takes over.
There
are improvements and new technologies everyday due to the Internet. Even though
it has led to a decrease in our intelligence in some ways,
it has also increased our access to information and our intelligence in other
ways. In the past, communities were more local-minded and didn’t think about the
world as a whole. Nowadays, everything is about our global connections, Bill
Gates once said “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global
village of tomorrow,” and he is entirely correct. The benefits of the Internet
outweigh its negatives; those who refuse to believe that will be left behind as
those who embrace the Internet access more information and further the worlds
thinking.
Works Cited
Cascio, Jamais. "Get
Smarter." The Atlantic. The Atlantic, Aug. 2009. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
Carr,
Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The Atlantic. The
Atlantic, Aug. 2008. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
Wikipedia
contributors. "Super Smash Bros.." Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 7 Mar.
2012.
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Count: 1275
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