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Tuesday, December 23, 2008 12:00 AM

Is the Web helping us evolve?

The truth lies somewhere between "Google is making us stupid" and "the Internet will liberate humanity."
By David Brin

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  • Tuesday, December 23, 2008 04:49 PM

    "For example, before the internet, I had no idea there were any people in the world as stupid as Youtube commenters."

    YouTube is a perfect example of the evolutionary process. Everything that is non-essential is stripped away, leaving only viral videos and a long, unsorted list of meta-commentary that unravels like DNA. Like a disease from outer space, YouTube is free to grow stronger and more efficient every day, even as it bloats and distorts under its own weight.

    YouTube is the freedom to watch, and to not think. It is better than tv because you get to "add value". It is evolutionary perfection.

    —John Anderson Read John Anderson's other letters

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