In “Does the Internet Make You Smarter?” by Clay Shirky, I was able to realize the positive effects of the internet, such as obtaining more information than ever before. Whether that information is useless or beneficial is completely up to us. Typically, when we think of the internet, the majority sees its negative effects, of course, with everything though, there is a good and bad side to it. Shirky says, “Amid the silly videos and spam are of a new reading and writing culture.” (1), I would have to agree with because just like reading isn’t innate, so are our understanding for technological tools. We just have to learn to use it the right way. There were claims concerning the long-term effect of the printing press back in the 16^th century, which were similar to these of the internet, such as, “chaos and dismemberment of European intellectual life” (2), pertained to be true. However, the unimagined use of building “new norms around newly abundant and contemporary literature” (2) was not taken into consideration. Therefore, instead of focusing on all of the bad outcomes that may happen, why not take responsibility to invest in useful resources needed in order to shape our use of digital tools, which in return is further beneficial to guide us properly towards the new age. So yes the internet can make you smarter, but it can also make you less intellectual, but the outcome is up to you and how you choose to use it. Shirky, helped me shed light on the situation making me more optimistic and aware of how I use my technology in order to fully obtained its optimal effects, which can denote any negative which is by far less great.