The Internet: Are we being foolish with our lives?

Ah, the simple life. A happier time. A less  stressful time. Yet it is an almost mythical time to the youth of today, thanks in large part to the birth of the Digital Age.

The Internet is undoubtedly the backbone of modern society. It provides an outlet for modern society to feed on mammoth amounts of information. It provides a platform for society to communicate with each other on a global scale, through the wonders of the Internet and video conferencing. It takes the hassle out of everyday chores, such as grocery shopping by allowing the consumer to shop from the comfort of their own home.

However, in a recent Times article published in July 2008, journalist Bryan Appleyard grapples with the idea that these oceans of information we are currently navigating is slowly killing our concentration.

Entitled “Stoooopid… why the Google generation isn’t as smart as it thinks”, this article examines the ‘harassment of man by self-inflicted technology.’ Appleyard explains that although it seems that marvels such as the Internet has benefited society in unfathomable ways, society is in fact forfeiting their ability to concentrate in the process.