…as humans become less of who they are, and more of what the algorithm reflects
Cyberspace, particularly social media, can significantly impact people’s reasoning and study habits, potentially leading to distractions, reduced focus, and lower academic performance, while also offering educational benefits when used constructively.
Gift Osikoya, a teacher said that exposure to various social media contents have the ability to desensitise children and disrupt their reading behaviour.
Similarly, Adewale Adetugbo, expressing his concerns on this development on his official Twitter account @aadetugbo, stated that parents have to be ruthless regarding smartphones and devices.
“I’m a Gen X, I was pretty young when I earned my PhD, so I have been a professor for a long time, over 30 years. If you’re not in academia or it has been a while since you were in college, you might not know this: the students are not what they used to be.
The problem with even talking about this topic at all is the knee-jerk response of, yeah, just another old man complaining about the children today; the same way everyone has since Gilagamesh.”
Study has shown that hardly any teenagers can sit through a meal without checking their phones, or resist the urge to scroll during a pause in conversation, hence, many of them are struggling to read a book.
According to Brad Stulberg on his official X @BStulberg, “Internet-brain is making students dumber”, suggesting that many Gen Z students are not as intelligent as they ought to be because of the negative effects of social media.
Research by OECD (PISA, PIAAC and Adult Literacy and Life-skills Survey) on performance in reasoning and problem-solving tests shows a worrying decline in reasoning and problem-solving skills among adolescents and adults in high-income countries.
The analysis focused on performance in three core domains for teens, Science, Reading and Mathematics, and in two domains for adults, Numeracy, and Literacy.
The results show a steady decline in skills in all areas considered for adolescents: the average score on the Science, Reading, and Mathematics assessments declined significantly between 2006 and 2022. The decline is particularly evident after 2018, signaling an alarming trend.
For adults, a decline in numeracy and literacy skills is also observed among adults, with the decline evident from 2014 onward.
Implications
Experts believe that the decline in reasoning and problem-solving skills could have serious implications for the economic competitiveness of high-income countries and the preparation of the younger generation for the world of work.
The ability to analyse data, solve complex problems and adapt to new challenges is crucial in an era increasingly dominated by automation and artificial intelligence.
Isaiah Ogundele, an educator, stressed that the over dependence on digital content and social media may have reduced the ability to comprehend complex texts and critical thinking skills in students.
On logical and mathematical skills, he emphasised that the consistent use of calculators and digital tools has made spontaneous mathematical reasoning less necessary, lowering the average level of numerical skills.
Solutions
To navigate out of the quagmire, experts urge policymakers to invest in innovative educational methods that combine digital with traditional learning. Besides, they say, there is a need to improve teacher training to develop more effective teaching strategies.
Promoting critical reading and logical thinking as early as elementary school. The decline in cognitive skills is a problem that affects the whole of society. Intervening today to reverse this trend is essential to ensure a stronger and more competitive future for the next generation.
Reasoning and problem solving are important aspects of thinking that have their origins in early childhood, and that show a protracted course of development during childhood and adolescence.
Three important factors that influence children’s performance on reasoning and problem‐solving tasks are the extent to which they can access and select the requisite semantic information, the complexity of the information that must be represented mentally, and their general information‐processing capacities, including speed of processing, working memory, set shifting, and inhibitory control.
