Digital alarmists argue that the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of new communication tools trap us in a shallow culture of constant interruption as we frenetically tweet, text and e-mail. This in turn leaves us little time for deep reading, reflection and serious conversation -- pensive activities traditionally thought to build knowledge and wisdom.

The reality is that Google is not making us stupid, PowerPoint is not destroying literature, and the Internet is not really changing our brains. The danger comes not from the information itself, or from how it could rewire our brains, but from the way we think about our own knowledge and abilities.