As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate

As more and more technology becomes accessible, humans find themselves inversely capable of thinking especially with respect to memory and problem solving. It is rare today that a person can go to a store without first writing down their grocery list, but deeper than that, it is uncommon to find individuality and original creativity with modern access to the internet, social media, and forums. My arguments are generationally and scientifically apparent.

Before this technology generation, most information was transferred and processed via the written or spoken word with a necessary commitment the memorization of details and memos. Today's millennials and Gen Z's outsource their brain storage to hard drive storage. While some may argue that the external placement allows room for expanded critical thinking, the technology also reduces the need for self-processing and creativity. According to Harvard Research Center, 85% of high-school-age millennials admitted to using online sources as inspiration for analytical writing and problem-solving in the past year. And of those who answered, 95% admitted that it hindered their ability to think creatively. The cost of increased access to technology is really a loss of originality and individuality. As millennials have ever more access to technology, the need for unique and individual thinking is replaced by silicon chips.

To expand on this point, technology does not make problem-solving obsolete because there is always a need for creativity and original thought. The prior examples indicate that technology allows for convenience and release additional time for people to act efficiently. Reality argues that very few millennials who use technology frequentyl use that extra time for self-improvement and critical thought. Instead, many use technology for a quick solution to homework problems and inspiration, as a means to and end so-to-speak. The convenience of modern life does not preclude a decreased dependence on creativity.

There was once a time when people dedicated time to curating their memories and faculties because there was no other way to go about problem-solving and analytic thought. In ancient Greece, there was once a poet named Simonides who left a banquet party just before the banquet hall collapsed and mangled all persons inside beyond recognition, but Simonides was able to identify the bodies because he remembered exactly where each person sat. This is because he marked the people and tables with the emotions and impressions from his poem as he recited is poetry. To recall their locations, he simply recalled the poem in reverse. This is the same method Cicero and Homer used to recall their works. Nowadays, the ubiquity of technology has made this ability rare, and the ability largely seems alien. Only a handful of people still use this technique and they compete at an annually at the World Memory Championship. At this competition, all technology is banned as it distracts the players and hinders their ability.

Thus my argument stands that the accessibility of technology limits the mental capacity for memorization. Modern generations with the highest access to technology, have a reduced need for memorization and analytical thinking. The expanded number of brain nodes has been replaced with the world wide web and smartphones which make intellectual plagiarism common and have thus removed individuality from the academic landscape. This stands in stark contrast to the days without silicon-powered technology and portable brains. In ancient times, a carefully maintained memory was necessary and unsurprising as a computer is in a technology worshipping world.