Mass Media Summary

The use of electronic technology and the use of internet resources is a still growing trend around the world. People continuously argue whether this rise of electronic use and internet in our lives is a negative or positive aspect. Are the internet and its sources such as twitter, Google, and so on, really rotting our brains? In Steven Pinker's article "Mind over Mass Media", he argues that electronic technologies are not as horrible as some may make it seem. He starts his article by addressing how "new forms of media have always caused moral panics" (893). Pinker then continues to give examples such as how television, the printing press, and newspapers were once seen as a threat to the public's intelligence, yet in reality, had an opposite effect. Further, Pinker discusses how the study of science has benefited greatly from the use of new media and how without technology, quality of science would plummet. Throughout his article, Pinker explains why critics, who accuse electronic technology as harming to human intelligence, are wrong. Rather, he suggest that, "these technologies are the only things that will keep us smart" (895). Although Pinker makes many excellent points on how technology and internet are improving our intelligence and discovery rather than turning our brain to mush, are agreeable, he failed to mention some of the drawbacks such as the effect that twitter may be having on the younger generations.

People often assume the worst about technology without actually knowing much about it. Some say technology rots our brain and lowers our I.Q, yet what they do not understand is that with the help of technology new discoveries are constantly made. According to Pinker, "These days scientists are never far from their e-mail, rarely touch paper, and cannot lecture without

PowerPoint" (894). Because of technology, scientists have many more resources. This speeds up their research process and makes it much easier to make new discoveries. Pinker states, "The new media have caught on for a reason" (94). Yes, new media has caught on because it is simple to use and easy to access. With websites such as Google, Bing, and Facebook, finding information and connecting with friends and family has never been easier. Hunger for knowledge has grown exceptionally as well, however hours in the day have not. Technology cuts down on time needed to find and acquire new information. Thanks to technology, minds are able to develop quicker within a shorter period of time. Despite technology being a positive aspect of education, it is still blamed as the reason for people procrastinating, being unmotivated, and not giving their all to educating themselves. While reading "Mind over Mass Media", I was overjoyed to see that Pinker brought up the point "it's not as if habits of deep reflection, thorough research and rigorous reasoning ever came naturally