“The new media have caught on for a reason. Knowledge is increasing exponentially; human brainpower and waking hours are not,” says Steven Pinker, a professor of psychology at Harvard.

“Fortunately, the Internet and information technologies are helping us manage, search and retrieve our collective intellectual output at different scales, from Twitter and previews to e-books and online encyclopedias. Far from making us stupid, these technologies are the only things that will keep us smart.”