Despite its richly relevant and readily available content, the Internet, rather than augment intelligence, actually makes us more stupid. So says Nicholas Carr in his excellent if somewhat dystopian polemic - The Shallows:

Of all the sacrifices we make when we devote ourselves to the Internet as our universal medium, the greatest is likely to be the wealth of connections within our own minds.

We learn and, by the same token, forget as neurons in our brains wire and rewire in line with the level attention and intensity of focus we give to information and activities both on and offline. Navigating links on the Internet exposes us to constant interruption as each personally relevant snippet of information distracts us from our current focus. This ‘Navigation Mode’ of Internet use prevents the sort of deep reading, comprehension and association with prior knowledge essential for retention and recall. In navigating the Internet we simply don’t focus on anything for long enough, nor deeply or repeatedly enough for neurons to wire up to commit the experience to long term memory.  Each passing snippet enters short term memory but quickly fades as we move on to the next.

Careful and intelligent use of bookmarking and reading tools helps to make a distinction between navigating and reading. Instapaper, a bookmarklet, is a good example of such reading tools. It allows you to save web pages to read later in your own time and on any device. Importantly, Instapaper saves web pages in a more readable paper-like format with all but the most essential links removed. This allows a more conscious, deliberate and deeper reading of the material. The Instapaper text bookmarklet on the other hand provides the simplified format right in your browser for an immediate read. A further measure involves copying and pasting Instapaper articles to your favourite word processor or notes application for annotation and comment so building meaningful associations with prior knowledge.  This helps to promote better retention and recall as well as improve synthesis and critical thinking.

The Internet is an essential intellectual technology but like all tools it weakens what it amplifies. It is vital to roll up your sleeves and make the intellectual effort otherwise overtime the Internet will weaken your cognitive abilities. Instapaper’s ability to separate ‘Navigation Mode’ from ‘Reading Mode’ is a real boon in this area. You can access Instapaper here www.instapaper.com, create an Instapaper account and start making use of this invaluable tool.