DarcsFalcon: The Internet Will

The Internet Will: "

Most of the respondents also said the Internet would improve reading and writing by 2020

from – The Internet Will Make You Smarter

I saw the headline, and read the article, and really, I laughed out loud. That’s sort of a big deal for me, because it’s kind of a running joke between my husband, my friend Sherri, and myself, that I rarely laugh out loud. I’ll shake, silently. I don’t like my laugh but there are moments when I just can’t hold it back and I bust out in guffaws. So when I tell you I laughed out loud, that’s a big deal. And that article made me laugh. Out loud.

I saw the “improve reading and writing” line and the thought that went through my head was this: “R U 4realz?” I’ve seen what’s been happening to reading and writing since the Internet came around and it’s not improvement. Both Darc and I have spent a lot of time bemoaning the state of language today, and as a writer, Darc laments the closings of bookstores as much as I as a reader do. I’ve seen how the LOLcats are changing our language – not that I’m not guilty of contributing in my own way – and I’ve seen l33tspeak, and the myriad ways in which our reading, writing, and speaking, are being dumbed down by the Internet. No one wants to take the time to write “too” anymore so they’ll just write “2”. So many people don’t understand the differences between to, too, and two. Or they’re, there, and their. Or heck, even sometimes you, ewe, and U. Do they know what the difference is between your and you’re? If the Internet is supposed to make us smarter, how come we seem so much more stupid, as a whole, than before? The things I learned about language I learned as a little kid, way back in the day before there were such things as home computers and common Internet. Before the “Information Superhighway,” which, IMO, (see what I mean?) has just as much disinformation as it does information.

So I categorically disagree. The Internet will not make us smarter. It’s school and a good education that makes us smarter. Things like reading, writing, arithmetic and learning good critical thinking skills. The Internet can facilitate those things, but usually doesn’t. LOLcats, you know.