The increasing popularity of the Internet for carrying out daily activities has a direct effect on the way people process and store information. It's never been easier to instantly access information when needed. This information comes from all over the world and is accessible at your fingertips. With the convenience of instant access to information, one must ask the question of how this affects our lifestyle and our information storage processes. The increasing use of social media is also beginning to negatively affect people's thought processes; we lose the ability to think critically, perpetuating belief persistence and confirmation bias. As people browse the web, they increasingly construct a repertoire of beliefs based on the information they relate to. Often, they choose to believe false information simply because it follows the pattern of their preconceived ideas. This brings us to a burning question: Is the Internet making us stupid? As technology develops at a faster pace than ever before, the Internet is proving to be a true marvel. Never before has it been easier for a person to have instant access to almost all of the world's information, right at their fingertips. In 2012, the Internet had 2,405,518,376 users (Internet World Stats, 2012). But, with this convenience of instant information, one must stop and ask what the negative repercussions might be. Does all this mindless browsing inadvertently lead to a loss of sustained attention and thought (Tucker, 2010)? As Clark (2010) noted, cognitive psychologists are concerned about the development of behaviors directly related to people's need to be in constant connection, including directing their attention to their...... middle of paper . ..... (2012) highlight the positive factors that the Internet brings us by offering social networking sites that contribute to the positive well-being of users. Carr (2011) highlights the two-sided nature of neuroplasticity. As Graham and Metaxas (2003) show, it is easy for Internet users to fall prey to inaccurate information, including advertising claims, government misinformation, and propaganda. It would be prudent for schools to make an effort to teach students how to accurately search the Internet and identify reliable information. Right now, there may be no answer as to whether the Internet is dumbing us down. It is important, as with all good things, to exercise moderation. Works Cited Bargh, JA and McKenna, KA (2004). Internet and social life. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(1), 573-590. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141922