While I don’t know if “most” people don’t know how to use Google at all, I can imagine that there’s some portion of individuals who can’t. Hell, maybe it is most–I wouldn’t think so, but I don’t have any data regarding the number of internet search engine users as a percentage of population. I’m more concerned with the people who are capable of searching but seem to be incapable of determining if a source is credible or not. I guess the distinction I’m drawing is that while a lot of people can search, not many people can search well.
But Google is only one example. Unfortunately, people take Facebook articles–or “insert bad place to find credible source material here”–and run with them as well. My favorite is when I see someone all up in arms about something they think is happening, only to notice in the by-line that the story is YEARS out of date. Accessibility of information has increased; unfortunately, the quality of that information has not.
I guess I’d say I’d rather hear someone say “I don’t know” than to try to argue against someone who’s misinformed but refuses to accept that might be the case.
The plain and simple answer is that conscious thought nowadays is rare and thus critical thinking nowadays is rare, which also means that the ability to analyse even the simplest things is rare. People don’t read what’s on the screen and think about it, they stare at the screen as if it was a TV. A mindless gaze where ever they look. Empty minds with nowhere to go. I am not exaggerating.
It’s not a matter of perspective, but of cognitive abilities.
When your whole life is nothing but passively staring at TV screens and reacting mindlessly with the single first impulse you had, without the ability to understand that that’s a stupid thing to do, then you also lack the ability to break down concepts into its parts which would enable you to use search words to find out more. Or simply entering a written down error message into google.
They don’t read.
They stare.
They don’t think.
They just react.
Or, in even simpler words:
It’s because they’re mindless automatons, not conscious human beings.
Instinct driven, abstract “thinking”, easily manipulated automatons.
Just look at the gaming industry …
… think about who their best customers are …
… think about why that is the case …
… and draw the conclusion yourself.
Hint: It’s not the smart, intelligent and critically thinking people.
When I was in elementary school, I was repeatedly disciplined because I refused to watch the television, and would not even partake in Reading Rainbow. I was quite insistent that television rots the brain and makes you stupid. As I grew older, I noticed that all the kids who went to daycare (where they watched television) were becoming dull and stupid. I truly believe that television makes people less intelligent. It’s not the medium itself, but the manner in which it is done, with lots of ADHD and autism inducing content.
I keep my adopted kids locked in the basement, where they sleep on a pile of old books.
Man, sometimes I can’t tell if you’re serious or not. It looks like you’re serious on one half and then try to cower out with a silly statement to make sure no one knows you’re actually being serious.
It’s as if you didn’t want people to know that you’re smarter than you make yourself look.
Yah, I don’t have any kids. I just enjoy sometimes when a miner is like “OMG YOU HAVE KIDS?” It’s a sad statement on society that, when I tell people I keep my kids locked in a basement closet, they aren’t sure whether I’m serious.
The really funny thing here is not whether that was a claim or not (which is true that it wasn’t), but rather that if it was you who had said that, she would say you were making a claim there first, and when pointed out that’s not the case, she would then either completely dodge the issue or claim you were implying it…
She seems to think playing word games and “seeing” others do all the wrong things she does, but they don’t, is ok and even makes she look smart or something…
I can’t follow that sentence. Idk. I’ve been playing Duke Nukem Forever for the last hours (grab it while it’s hot, 5 bucks on Steam this weekend only! I got super lucky because of a review on Youtube that made me check Steam)
… uhhh … well, I had a lot of fun playing so far. Playing on highest difficulty of course, but there’s only three anyway. Which is fine. I forgot where I was going at with this post and my left eye kind of hurts, so there’s really only one thing left to say …