Technology… it has come so far from the days where it was a novelty to own a big janky and slow computer. Now that technology is so cheap and accessible, almost everyone owns some sort of tech that makes their life easier. Not only does technology make peoples lives easier, but it also allows humans to thrive and become more knowledgeable. For example, there have been huge advancements in education due to the development of useful technology. Sites like Khan Academy allow students to learn topics at a more in depth level that might not have been able to be achieved by a teacher. (Read more HERE). We can now access more information than ever before, and are able to learn so much more through proper education and teaching.
But some people think that technology is making society less intelligent..
Source: NBC
They think that this new language of texting, combined with the vagueness of the internet is making humans have less intellect as well as very low attention spans. An example given by Nicholas Carr says that he is so used to reading short and compact internet articles, that he had trouble staying focused for more than five pages when he picked up a book. Carr doesn’t realize that society is transitioning to a new era, and along with that comes transitions in areas like literacy. Although the format of it might be different, I think that these new forms of literacy are allowing humans to process information faster and more efficiently which is a great advancement.
Source: Tumblr
Technology has had an even greater effect on education. It allows a wider majority of people to become more educated and influential citizens in society. People who might not have been able to receive an education previously due to a wide variety of reasons (money, time etc.) can now get an online college education and pursue their goals. This means that an education is not exclusive anymore to people of a higher class in society which has been a very prominent issue in the past. An increase in education throughout society allows for a smarter and more informed population which benefits humanity greatly. It is shown that the higher educated one is, the more successful they will be in life. According to this New York Times article, the income gap between a family with college grads as parents and a family where both parents are high school graduates is over $30,000. If more and more people throughout the world become more educated and therefore more successful, then the world as a whole will be better off in the future.
Source: Reddit
All of this great innovation and advancement allows society to thrive. With the introduction of systems like the internet and texting, people around the world have been more connected than ever before. The cultivation of ideas and theories from many different people in separate cultures and backgrounds now have the ability to mesh and form more improved and advanced ideas about a variety of things between math, science and even political issues. The shift to a more technologically advanced society can help people become smarter and more educated as a whole. This change is one that can help the whole world greatly and set us up for more innovation in the future.