Can Computers Change the Way We Think?

There is a raging debate over whether or not computers are able to change the way we think. When the question, “Can Computers Change the Way We Think?” was asked to a college level English class the responses we not only split, but most students shared the same concerns about the computers as their classmates.
The majority of students felt as though the computer had the ability to change the way we think. Some aspects of everyday life the students felt computers changed were the knowledge of spelling and grammatical rules, privacy, access to information, and social networking. Almost every student spoke on the subject of how word processors, such as Microsoft Word, have become more of a crutch than a help. The younger generation of today are not using Microsoft Word to double check their writing assignments as much as they are just hoping Microsoft Word fixes all of their problems. Also nowadays with the wealth of information out there it is easier to pull up the internet and inquire about a specific subject. In a matter of seconds, billions of responses to the inquiry would be at the disposal of the reader. This saves the reader the time of going to the library and endlessly searching for reference books, however it feeds into the mind set of instant gratification. This ability to pull up billions of references can help to open up new ways of thinking for people, or even sway people’s opinions on subjects. Even though most of the topics listed have not been that dangerous the next two are in fact very dangerous. Identity theft is increasing because of the availability of personal information on the internet. Hackers, if skilled enough, can simply go into a companies’ record and steal all of the necessary information needed to make online purchases and transfer money from bank accounts. If people do not get the information by hacking then a lot of times they can just get the information from social networks such as Facebook and MySpace. It is a wonderful tool to be able to contact long lost friends and make new ones however it does have its drawbacks. The younger generation is feeling safe enough to give personal information out over the internet which can lead to more abductions, sexual assaults, etc. Also many of these sites allow you to build mini versions of you, or avatars. Some people spend so much time building up their online self that they begin to lack the essential social skills needed for socializing and cooperating with peers. Even with all of these valid points there were still some students who believed the complete opposite, computers cannot change the way we think.
The very few students that believe computers cannot change the way we think did not necessarily disagree with almost anything the other side stated. In fact, in most cases they agreed with most of the point brought out as far as privacy, crime, socialization, and grammatical skills. However, most of these people felt as though they were behavioral changes and not changes in the way we think. If computers were taken off of this planet tonight then these people feel they could revert back to living without them and be able to function doing “back of the envelope calculations.” Giving someone a tool that will help them does not automatically mean they will begin to overuse the tool and become lazy. That is a genetic defect of the entire human kind. The computer is a wonderful tool and can help to improve people’s insight into the world and people availability to information but it is just like everything else in life; too much of a good thing is a bad thing. If you begin to overuse Microsoft Word and do not rely on your own knowledge or share every aspect of your life to complete strangers than the internet can become a debilitating and dangerous aspect of life. However just because the internet changes the majority of human behavior does not mean I changes the way people think in general.