The Internet can make you smarter

Information easily accessible via the Internet can make anyone smarter. Delivering information to a wide audience and enabling user feedback on topics, issues, and current events forces authenticity. I believe the Internet provides a platform for anyone to participate on anything. The success of Wikipedia is an extremely good example. In less then 10 years, Wikipedia became one of the most important English reference works in history. Anyone may contribute knowledge to any topic, from history to physics. Yes, the Internet can make you smarter but it demands focus of attention.

Distraction Distractions
Not unlike any other technical advancement, there are trade-offs to the Internet and its effect on learning behavior. A number of studies have found that people who use the Internet become distracted frequently and quickly. This has substantial consequences for retention of information and long term knowledge. These studies find that most users hop from site to site, consuming tidbits of information from videos, pod-casts, and print. In fact, the studies find that frequent users of the Internet are more then likely to forget something they just learned and have trouble concentrating. Furthermore, the studies found certain areas of the brain in the prefrontal cortex rewired as a result of frequent web surfing. As the typical user goes online, they are inherently distracted, hurried, and thinking shallowly.

Some technology is Twinkies and some is Brussels Sprouts! You can improve concentration skills by blocking out unnecessary noise permeating on the Internet. While reading a story online, resist the temptation to click a hyperlink OR with GoFetch – open hyperlinks in the background. With the GoFetch new tab on link function enabled , hyperlinked information is referenced AFTER you finish the original story.

The gadgets delivering digital media are quickly evolving. I own a phone that contains 63 applications which deliver news, weather, stocks, or directions! As these gadgets continuously try to feed us Twinkies, we must reassert our intellectuality and choose what information to consume and when. GoFetch helps by making content filtering easier and faster.

GoFetch is the fast easy way to access and save important Internet content. The perfect tool for research, GoFetch Internet Companion improves global awareness. We bring the wealth of information available on the Internet to people who seek knowledge. Search less with GoFetch Internet Companion!

Reference:
Author Nicholas Carr: The Web Shatters Focus, Rewires Brains
Does the Internet Make You Smarter?
The Difference Engine: Rewiring the brain
Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets