I have been meaning to blog about this article in the Independent ever since I read it last week.  The thrust of the article was that the internet, rather than enriching our culture and knowledge, is actually leading us towards an intellectual dark age.  The younger generation of internet users apparently only read blog posts and instant messages, meaning that they are unable to concentrate on anything more complex.  If we are unable to digest complex ideas then, so the theory goes, we cannot produce our own advanced ideas, and so society will regress.

I think I’m young enough to qualify as part of this younger generation, and I don’t believe that I, or the rest of my generation, are contributing to the decline of civilisation as we know it.  Whilst the internet can be used as a quick reference tool, so can the Encyclopaedia Britannica.  Blogging and social network sites are just web versions of what people have been doing for thousands of years; gossiping and expressing their opinion. 

If anything, the internet is helping to enrich society and make in-depth knowledge more accessible to more people.  It is easier than ever to get hold of information on any topic, from a copy of classic novel through to an explanation of advanced nuclear physics (for example). 

Maybe it’s because I work in technology PR, but the internet seems more like something that should be encouraged and welcomed, rather than the bringer of doom that some perceive it to be.

Luke Davies