Do TV, Games, and Homework Make Americans Smarter?

“Americans are getting smarter measured by IQ tests”, Malcolm Gladwell. Brain Candy is an article about whether Americans are getting smarter in the right sense, or if we think we are getting smarter, “People who give IQ tests continually recalibrate the scoring system to keep the average at 100”, Therefore, are people really getting smarter? Television shows, video games, and homework are major points to look at when deciding if our society is getting smarter. Television shows back then did not require logical thinking or mind games, I Love Lucy is an old television show that portrayed the lives of a small family and family friends, enjoying their time together and producing a good comedy for the family to watch.

Today, we have shows requiring in-depth thinking on what may happen next, and characters “weaving in and out of the plot’i I watch a show called Pretty Little Liars, which is a show involving five girls figuring out who murdered who, and putting pieces together throughout the show trying to put puzzle pieces together, Television has changed our society to start thinking in a broader perspective, because most shows are related to real life situations.

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Video gaming is similar when trying to figure out what will happen next, but goes further into how to get to the next level Pac-Man is a simple game that requires no instructions, trying to solve what puzzle pieces go together. Today there are video games that require massive amounts of thinking on how to advance to the neXt level, or what buttons to click to defeat the monster.

Continuing to the next level could take hours because the player has to think about how they can accomplish that Ievelt Our society is taking away teenagers, even adults from outdoor play because of these mind-boggling games that take days to finish, with endless hours of sitting in a room and only getting up to go to the bathroom, so the player can finish with completing the level. I know someone who plays video games all the time and never goes outside. His eye started to turn red from constantly looking at the screen, not taking any breaks. If teens are determined to finish that last level, then they should be determined to finish that last problem in their homework, or get ahead like they do in their video games.

Homework helps the student to get a better understanding of what was being taught in class, Students should feel as motivated to completing their homework, as to completing a level in their video game. Homework and videogames are alike because they require thinking and strategy to completing a level or problem, High school homework is taken more seriously because it affects the students more, when elementary school homework “seems to be marginal or no academic value", Yes, children could be playing outside and getting exercise, but I believe homework is valuable at any age because I believe it helps you become smarter. I believe pop culture is smartening us up because on television, shows are requiring more thinking, Video games require strategy, and homework requires time and effort, The more complicating technology and homework gets, the smarter our society will become.