Some people contend that soon, people who read short Internet posts on Facebook, Twitter, and similar sites which follow the short and sweet rule will no longer be able to read text which is more than 500 characters or written in higher English. Other's contend that the Internet improves literacy over all.

My contention: Over use and misuse of the Internet makes people stupid.

I've made to observations: The Internet provides people with the most powerful research tool currently available. People also seem to have developed a habit of simply taking everything they read at its word.

As people find information easier and easier to access, the untrue belief that this information is also becoming more and more reliable spreads. As people find information easier to access, it also makes the more lazy and less inclined to see if what they've read is actually true or factual. This danger has even moved into oral grounds. People these days have come to the point where they believe everything the media tells them, not knowing that the media only covers about 1/4 of the facts, and spins these facts to meet their opinion.

What are you thoughts? Will intelligent literacy die?

Sorry my thoughts were a bit jumbled. This whole thought sparked from an audio I listen to called Spirit Blade. It is set in a future world where free thinking has been outlawed by the belief that truth can be true to you but not to me. People don't know how to think for themselves because they were trained to simply accept whatever anyone said, whether it contradicted something someone else said or not.

I guess, after thinking about it more, it's the culture as a whole. In fact, the situation sounds almost like a conspiracy. Remember, Americans started out as avid readers. (Those who could read, that is.)

Public schools instituted. Children told to simply accept what they are told by their teacher.

Radio invented. Generations of public school raised children accept what the radio tells them.

TV invented. More generations are exposed to faster, easier than ever to communicate beliefs which they simply accept.

Internet invented: People are given quick access to facts and accept these facts without question.

And then, the thinkers realize that something happened. But they don't know what.

Personally, I think that this was a clever move on Satan part to prevent the US from remaining a Christian populace.

But its not just American. I know Canadians and other who read, watch, listen, and accept. They are incapable of forming conclusions for themselves.

But that's just a related issue. In all honesty, I believe that between the Internet and TV, reading literature will become a think only a few practice. Books may again only be found in hidden monasterys. And worst of all, as the Internet becomes more and more visually geared, the ability to read higher level English may be lossed to the general public entirely.

I think as a whole, more people read more words a day than the used to 20 years ago. From my personal experience being on live internet chat has improved, not only my spelling, my word choice, my social skills, and even organized and text based my thoughts.

I would agree however that the internet is taking away from face to face interaction, say at a family gathering, the cousin your age is sitting next to you grunting while you attempt to talk to him meanwhile texting someone 1000 miles away. There are good and bad things that the internet has changed.

I think we may need to define literature. If by literature, you mean books, then no.
I don't think the Internet will destroy Literature. Through various forums, and emails, I have become a better person, and learned so much more than I ever would have without it.

Although it isn't always evil, I do think excessive computer usage is a distraction and can lessen attention span. Because we're used to typing something into Google and having everything at our fingertips immediately. Also, it's REALLY easy to be on the Internet when you shouldn't be. So in that way it can be detrimental.

When you come to "intelligent literature" though, things get a little trickier. ANY idiot can buy a website on the Internet and start a cult. Or write about brain surgery whether they are a doctor or not. Through the internet, our culture is exposed to this kind of quackery, and an impressive array of advertisements.

And we've gotten used to this. I would actually say that the internet has made Americans as a people less trusting. (at least in my small, homeschooled, conservative circles.)

That's the problem. WE know how to think for ourselves. But I know people who can't think for themselves. Their bright, intellectual people, who can't think for themselves. The rest of the world hasn't grown used to the fact that you can't trust the Internet.

By literature, yes, I did mean books.

Lazy people will be lazy no matter what the technology. More effective communication technology creates more opportunities to be lazy, and more opportunities to think and learn better. The problem is not the technology. The problem is the worldview and the mindset that has been allowed to be cultivated.