Tutors 21 | - Freelance Writer
Jan 30, 2025 | #1
The internet has allowed the general public to have access to information not otherwise accessible to the average person. The internet is not regulated and therefore those who browse the internet are exposed to a plethora of contradicting information . The public suffers from an information overload that may actually make them "dumber." This essay will discuss whether or not the statement; does the web make us dumber is true or false.
Since anyone can pretend that they are an expert in a particular field, the information that is put on the internet consists primarily of personal opinions and beliefs. The average person surfing the web will have a hard time sorting out fact from fiction . Self-appointed experts can espouse radical views without peer review or censorship. A person is not necessarily "dumb" if he or she takes this information at face value, perhaps that person is simply naïve.
Webmasters prey on their visitors by making their website look authentic, with enticing taglines, graphics, and videos. Some websites have discussion boards where visitors can interact with one another and exchange ideas. Each poster submits his or her opinion and others can respond with their own ideas. Sometimes the arguments become obscene , thus making the entire discussion "dumb."
The internet is not entirely composed of personal websites. Multi-level marketing companies lure unsuspecting people into joining the organization with promises of financial success beyond their wildest imagination. Naïve or "dumb" people join these organizations and spend thousands of dollars for marketing materials to promote the MLM's products or services. Pre-paid legal is an excellent example of this . Sales representatives must purchase approved marketing products directly from the company.
Political websites are an excellent example of how people can be influenced into supporting a particular party or cause. Presidential candidates have websites dedicated to raising campaign funds. Politicians are willing to promise almost anything in order to secure campaign contributions. The person who gives to the coffers of the campaign fund could be considered "dumb" if, once elected, the candidate does not follow up on his or her campaign promises.
The internet is also a breeding ground for groups of radical extremists to freely express their brand of propaganda. Islamic extremists use the internet to recruit disenchanted young men to become jihadists. A recent United States drone attack killed the webmaster of Inspire . Inspire is the electronic magazine that teaches people how to make bombs and become suicide bombers . In reference to the topic of this paper, people who join a jihadist movement and read electronic magazines in order to become suicide bombers are "dumb."
Religious organizations, although non-profit, encourage people to give them donations via a credit card or PayPal . The organization will attract web surfers that may be interested in and agree with its doctrinal statement. Once on the website, the visitor is invited to donate to the common cause. Most of the time, the common cause that the visitor is contributing to is the webmaster's or pastor's bank account . Therefore, the visitor who is conned into giving money to the religious person for a cause that may or may not be legitimate could be considered "dumb."
Diploma mills are an excellent example of how the internet can make us "dumb." People who have not obtained a college degree actively seek out ways to obtain a "life experience" degree. While some colleges that offer credit for life experience are not necessarily scams, any "college" that grants a degree strictly based on life experience is a scam. Millions of students have obtained fake diplomas for the purposes of career advancement . Students are willing to pay thousands of dollars for these phony academic degrees which are not worth the paper they are printed on. This is another example of the internet creating "dumb" people.
The example above has far more serious consequences depending on what the "student" chooses as his or her major. Imagine going to a doctor who has purchased a medical degree over the internet; that would make the patient "dumb." How would the client feel if he or she discovered the lawyer representing him or her had a phony Juris Doctorate degree? The answer is, "dumb."
The old saying that "you cannot believe everything you read in the newspaper" can be translated into modern terms as "you cannot believed everything you see or read on the internet." Browsing the internet is like going to your favorite flea market. There are numerous vendors selling a diverse variety of opinions, beliefs, products, or politicians. People tend to approach the internet cafeteria style. They pick and choose what they want to view and ignore topics in which they are not interested.
Therefore, separating fact from fiction is not the first priority when someone logs onto the internet. Most people surf the internet for a specific topic that they are researching or a topic in which they are interested. They are looking for information on their favorite sports team, a religious organization, a political candidate, recent breaking news, prices on vacation packages, or whatever strikes their fancy that day.
People are looking to justify their own personal opinions, and tend to gravitate toward those websites that reflect those opinions. Therefore, the person is only interested in one side of a particular issue. In order to be a well rounded citizen, for example, a person must understand alternative political viewpoints. It serves him or her will when it is time to defend his or her position on a particular matter. If that person cannot explain his viewpoint to someone with a different political view on a given subject, he or she may appear biased and ignorant. Anyone who adopts an attitude that his ideology is the only point of view that matters could be considered "dumb."
Internet radio stations prey on these types of ideologues. Internet talk show hosts draw listeners mainly from an audience that shares their political or religious views. The Fox News internet news stream attracts conservative listeners and MSNBC has a much more liberal audience . Prominent conservative and liberal figures are often guests on these internet stations. Listeners who are only interested in tuning into internet radio stations that espouse their brand of political ideology could be considered "dumb."
The dangers of placing the intimate details on one's personal life cannot be emphasized enough. There have been a large number of people who have had their identity stolen, experienced bullying, been victims of brutal crimes, and some have been murdered . This is because the criminal was able to obtain all the information he needed from the actual person that he or she intended to victimize . These crimes have been made public by news media outlets both on the internet and on mainstream television . In reference to the topic of this paper, not only can the internet make people "dumb," the consequences of indiscriminately posting personal information on the world wide web can be fatal.
In a time when the internet is used for just about every activity one can imagine, why not try to find your future soul mate online? Match is an excellent example of how desperate people search for love in all the wrong places. People who join Match however, do have a valid point. Many people live in areas where it is difficult to meet other people that share their interests. These people resort to the internet as a means to connect with likeminded individuals who are seeking romance. As in all other topics of interest on the internet, the Match customer is able to choose his or her mate cafeteria style.
They build their profiles in order to put themselves in the best possible light. In some cases, they completely fabricate their information in order to attract that perfect person or they put up a profile picture that was taken many years ago . After numerous emails and phone conversations with the perspective "match" the two agree to meet in person. The person that they are trying to impress may be very disappointed on the first date. The person that he is meeting in person in no way reflects the person he has been corresponding with for weeks or months. In this sense, both the person who posted the pseudo profile and the person who assumed that the person was genuine end up feeling "dumb."
It could be safely concluded, that the question, does the web make us dumber, could be answered with resounding yes. People must learn to be discriminating when searching the internet for subjects of interest. The subject of interest may range from sharing political ideologies to searching for the perfect, romantic "match." It is imperative that internet users approach anything that they read on the internet with skepticism. Doing so will make them a well-rounded individual and could possibly save their lives.
Since anyone can pretend that they are an expert in a particular field, the information that is put on the internet consists primarily of personal opinions and beliefs. The average person surfing the web will have a hard time sorting out fact from fiction . Self-appointed experts can espouse radical views without peer review or censorship. A person is not necessarily "dumb" if he or she takes this information at face value, perhaps that person is simply naïve.Webmasters
Webmasters prey on their visitors by making their website look authentic, with enticing taglines, graphics, and videos. Some websites have discussion boards where visitors can interact with one another and exchange ideas. Each poster submits his or her opinion and others can respond with their own ideas. Sometimes the arguments become obscene , thus making the entire discussion "dumb."
Multi-level Marketing Scams
The internet is not entirely composed of personal websites. Multi-level marketing companies lure unsuspecting people into joining the organization with promises of financial success beyond their wildest imagination. Naïve or "dumb" people join these organizations and spend thousands of dollars for marketing materials to promote the MLM's products or services. Pre-paid legal is an excellent example of this . Sales representatives must purchase approved marketing products directly from the company.
Campaign Websites
Political websites are an excellent example of how people can be influenced into supporting a particular party or cause. Presidential candidates have websites dedicated to raising campaign funds. Politicians are willing to promise almost anything in order to secure campaign contributions. The person who gives to the coffers of the campaign fund could be considered "dumb" if, once elected, the candidate does not follow up on his or her campaign promises.
Jihad Recruitment
The internet is also a breeding ground for groups of radical extremists to freely express their brand of propaganda. Islamic extremists use the internet to recruit disenchanted young men to become jihadists. A recent United States drone attack killed the webmaster of Inspire . Inspire is the electronic magazine that teaches people how to make bombs and become suicide bombers . In reference to the topic of this paper, people who join a jihadist movement and read electronic magazines in order to become suicide bombers are "dumb."
Donations to Religious Organizations
Religious organizations, although non-profit, encourage people to give them donations via a credit card or PayPal . The organization will attract web surfers that may be interested in and agree with its doctrinal statement. Once on the website, the visitor is invited to donate to the common cause. Most of the time, the common cause that the visitor is contributing to is the webmaster's or pastor's bank account . Therefore, the visitor who is conned into giving money to the religious person for a cause that may or may not be legitimate could be considered "dumb."
Diploma Mills
Diploma mills are an excellent example of how the internet can make us "dumb." People who have not obtained a college degree actively seek out ways to obtain a "life experience" degree. While some colleges that offer credit for life experience are not necessarily scams, any "college" that grants a degree strictly based on life experience is a scam. Millions of students have obtained fake diplomas for the purposes of career advancement . Students are willing to pay thousands of dollars for these phony academic degrees which are not worth the paper they are printed on. This is another example of the internet creating "dumb" people.
The example above has far more serious consequences depending on what the "student" chooses as his or her major. Imagine going to a doctor who has purchased a medical degree over the internet; that would make the patient "dumb." How would the client feel if he or she discovered the lawyer representing him or her had a phony Juris Doctorate degree? The answer is, "dumb."
Separating Fact from Fiction
The old saying that "you cannot believe everything you read in the newspaper" can be translated into modern terms as "you cannot believed everything you see or read on the internet." Browsing the internet is like going to your favorite flea market. There are numerous vendors selling a diverse variety of opinions, beliefs, products, or politicians. People tend to approach the internet cafeteria style. They pick and choose what they want to view and ignore topics in which they are not interested.
Therefore, separating fact from fiction is not the first priority when someone logs onto the internet. Most people surf the internet for a specific topic that they are researching or a topic in which they are interested. They are looking for information on their favorite sports team, a religious organization, a political candidate, recent breaking news, prices on vacation packages, or whatever strikes their fancy that day.
Partisan Internet Radio
People are looking to justify their own personal opinions, and tend to gravitate toward those websites that reflect those opinions. Therefore, the person is only interested in one side of a particular issue. In order to be a well rounded citizen, for example, a person must understand alternative political viewpoints. It serves him or her will when it is time to defend his or her position on a particular matter. If that person cannot explain his viewpoint to someone with a different political view on a given subject, he or she may appear biased and ignorant. Anyone who adopts an attitude that his ideology is the only point of view that matters could be considered "dumb."
Internet radio stations prey on these types of ideologues. Internet talk show hosts draw listeners mainly from an audience that shares their political or religious views. The Fox News internet news stream attracts conservative listeners and MSNBC has a much more liberal audience . Prominent conservative and liberal figures are often guests on these internet stations. Listeners who are only interested in tuning into internet radio stations that espouse their brand of political ideology could be considered "dumb."
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and MySpace
The dangers of placing the intimate details on one's personal life cannot be emphasized enough. There have been a large number of people who have had their identity stolen, experienced bullying, been victims of brutal crimes, and some have been murdered . This is because the criminal was able to obtain all the information he needed from the actual person that he or she intended to victimize . These crimes have been made public by news media outlets both on the internet and on mainstream television . In reference to the topic of this paper, not only can the internet make people "dumb," the consequences of indiscriminately posting personal information on the world wide web can be fatal.
Internet Dating Sites
In a time when the internet is used for just about every activity one can imagine, why not try to find your future soul mate online? Match is an excellent example of how desperate people search for love in all the wrong places. People who join Match however, do have a valid point. Many people live in areas where it is difficult to meet other people that share their interests. These people resort to the internet as a means to connect with likeminded individuals who are seeking romance. As in all other topics of interest on the internet, the Match customer is able to choose his or her mate cafeteria style.
They build their profiles in order to put themselves in the best possible light. In some cases, they completely fabricate their information in order to attract that perfect person or they put up a profile picture that was taken many years ago . After numerous emails and phone conversations with the perspective "match" the two agree to meet in person. The person that they are trying to impress may be very disappointed on the first date. The person that he is meeting in person in no way reflects the person he has been corresponding with for weeks or months. In this sense, both the person who posted the pseudo profile and the person who assumed that the person was genuine end up feeling "dumb."
Conclusion
It could be safely concluded, that the question, does the web make us dumber, could be answered with resounding yes. People must learn to be discriminating when searching the internet for subjects of interest. The subject of interest may range from sharing political ideologies to searching for the perfect, romantic "match." It is imperative that internet users approach anything that they read on the internet with skepticism. Doing so will make them a well-rounded individual and could possibly save their lives.