As technology becomes more advanced, the intellect of people decreases. In today’s ever changing environment, technology is becoming more prevalent as the expected knowledge or common knowledge in all aspects of society. Some of the most noticeable aspects of society affected by technology are: schools (at all age levels), social life (both online and in person), and businesses (concerning the use of technology for normal operation). In theory, the groups of people most affected by the changing technological environment are children and young teens. According to Gerhard Lenski, the younger generation is affected more because the standard of technology they are exposed to is more than older generations were exposed to in the past (Macionis, J. J.,2010). According to Gerhard Lenski’s theory of society and technology, “Inventing or adopting new technology sends ripples of change throughout a society (Macionis, J. J., 2010). Based on Lenski’s theory, the grandparents of a family would have difficulty adapting to the new technology used today, while the grandchildren would have some difficulties living the way the Grandparents did when they were young. The older generation had to complete all of their work without autocorrect, calculators, or computers to automatically calculate equations. So, with the use of more technology now than in the past, some believe that as technology becomes more advanced, the intellect of people decrease(s).
The first example of the decrease in intellect is due to the decreasing amount of physical social interaction. According to Alice Martin “more and more people are interacting with others through different methods of interaction and communication” (Martin, A., 2013). Now more people are spending their time in their homes on their gaming devices or other social media and less time out in the world carrying on intelligent conversation with others. These “advancements have hampered the physical interaction skills of many children” as well as adults (Martin, A., 2013).
The increased usage and advancement of technology has also resulted in the changing of writing skills. Many people, especially those that text a lot, will used shortened forms of words in order to communicate faster, speech to text, or they will utilize the auto correct features on their devices. The increased usage of these devices in a person’s everyday life has resulted in lower writing skills of the people using them. Often times, this is most noticeable in schools because children are so reliant on the computers for spell checking and general calculations. According to Alice Martin “the excessive usage of online chatting and shortcuts has caused the writing skills of today’s young generation to decline” (Martin, A., 2013). This issue not only applies to the younger generation, but also some of the older generation.
People applying for employment in the market today are often more technology savvy than people 20 years ago, but are also more reliant on the use of technology to complete their jobs. The technology used today is much more advanced that it was 20 years ago, and most corporations list this type of skill as a requirement or prerequisite for employment. According to Daniel Bell, the United States is now considered to be in “post-modern”, which is “the production of information using computer technology” (Macionis, J. J., 2010). Given that the United States is now in a post-modern state, it has become more important for people to understand and utilize technology in order to perform anything from general functions at stores to full analysis and databases on the job. Another effect of increased technology is that it affects the quality of home life for many families. It affects most families both positively and negatively. It is positive for some because people are now able to complete tasks at home such as their work, college or regular school work, and general shopping. Being able to complete these activities at home gives them more time at home and can sometimes help improve the relationship within the family. It can be negative because people are sometime more prone to become workaholics, shopaholics, or lazy, which can result in the person working or shopping more and spending less time with their family.
Evidence that could support the theory that the intellect of people decreases as technology increases has surfaced in a research study of 175,000 15-year-old students that stated the results of their reading and math skills have suffered significantly when more than one computer is present in the home (Macdonald, J., 2004). The same research study states that “The mere availability of computers at home seems to distract students from learning” (Macdonald, J., 2004). During those research studies it was found that computers in the home are typically used for gaming (Macdonald, J., 2004). This information supports the argument, but in contrast is only a specific sample of people of a certain age that have computers in the home. Also in another survey, about 60 percent of people stated that we rely on technology too much (Reuters, 2013). This information also supports the argument, but others state that the use of technology enhances their personal relationships (Reuters, 2013).
From the articles and research referenced, it appears that people depend on technology too much, even to the extent that it harms a person’s intellectual capacity and could cause one’s life to become more difficult if technology were removed. Some people could have difficulty in completing simple tasks such as balancing the check book or writing official correspondence to another person or business. While technology does have its benefits and drawbacks, it really depends on how a person chooses to use it or not in determining whether it is a good or bad thing to have. In conclusion, the studies referenced above support the fact that as technology increases, the intellect of people tend to decrease.

Reference:
Macdonald, J. (2004, December 8), Too much computer exposure may hinder learning. USA Today. Retrieved from: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-12-06-complicating-things_x.htm
Macionis, J. J. (2010). Society. Sociology (pp. 88-96)
Martin, A. (2013, May 30) The 4 Negative Side Effects of Technology. Edudemic connecting educations & technology. Retrieved from: http://www.edudemic.com/the-4-negative-side-effects-of-technology/
Reuters (2013, October 17) Young People Say Technology Is Often Dehumanizing But Makes Life Easier. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/17/technology dehumanizing_n_4114470.html