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Is Smart Technology Making Us Dumb?

This debate short is part of a series co-produced by Intelligence Squared and Newsy.

Is Smart Technology Making Us Dumb?
Getty Images / Sean Gallup

Smart technology grants us unprecedented, immediate access to knowledge and to each other—a ubiquitous and seamless presence in everyday life. But is there a downside to all of this connectivity? It’s been said that smart technology creates dependency on devices, narrows our world to echo chambers, and impairs cognitive skills through shortcuts and distraction. Are smart tech devices guiding so much of our decision making that we are losing autonomy without even realizing it? Or are these concerns an overstatement of the negative effects of high-tech consumption?

Watch the full debate at Intelligence Squared