Innovation has always been a defining characteristic of human beings, ever since our ancestor discovered how to shape a rock into a hammer/axe hybrid tool. Eventually, we managed to harness and control the fire. Then, a brilliant person discovered how to use scratches on clay tablets to record their business transactions—the beginning of the written language. The development of writing added a new dimension to their rich oral tradition, allowing people to read the teachings and stories of people they had never met. Readers could read the tablet, scroll, or codex at their leisure, in the comfort of a location of their choosing. They had access to the reflections of thinkers around the world, and so books inevitably began to be used by scholars to edify their pupils. In the five thousand years (give or take) since the advent of writing, the inclusion of books in classrooms has become universal. Now we have created another innovation to contend with: the Internet. About thirty years ago, the Internet began to take shape. It easily has the capacity to archive all human books and diaries, as well as countless videos of people hurting themselves on camera. There hasn't been enough time to do extensive research into the consequences of Internet use on our brains or our social interactions, but it has already become intricately woven into nearly every aspect of our lives: commerce, entertainment, correspondence, sex, shopping, interpersonal relationships. interactions, research, work and education. It has fundamentally changed the way we interact with information, in much the same way as the written word did in the ancient world. It has been observed that the average teenager now has more than… paper media in their pocket (via a smartphone or laptop) every day. We wonder what the next innovation will be and how we will react to it. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic July 2008: 1-8. Network. August 14, 2011..Lenhart, Amanda, Maya Simon and Mike Graziano. “The Internet and Education: Findings from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.” Pew Internet and American Life Project survey. Ed. Lee Rainie. Pew Research Center, September 1. 2001. Network. August 9, 2011. Lougheed, Tim. “The Internet as a Class Distraction.” University Affairs January 2002. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.Web. July 19, 2011.Mann, Denise. “Is the Internet Replacing Your Memory?” MedicineNet.com. Ed. Laura J. Martin, doctor. Np, 14 July 2011. Web. 8 August 2011.Plato, [Aristocles]. Phaedrus. 360 BC, 227a-279c, Print.