The Price of Thinking
How Critical Thought Became a Commodity
There is a rising popularity of sharing academic pursuits or knowledge online. The "research as a hobby” trend users are sharing about the topics they will research this week, and “knowledgemaxxing” takes from the name of “looksmaxxing” in manosphere but instead of looks users “maxxing” their knowledge, same applies with the pursuit of “becoming disgustingly educated” or the newest trend of “media to consume instead of doomscrolling”. We have grown weary of influencers selling us products. Learning is cool again. Yet despite this growing popularity of “online intellectualism”, embracing of learning is juxtaposing the decline in literacy and critical thinking online. The important question is - does the aspiration for learning can become a counter movement against villanisation of academia and rise of anti-intellectualism, or is it a sign of us slipping further into the darkness?
There are increasing concerns for usage of AI in academic environments, as many students rely on the AI tools for saving time (writing that essay for English class) and cognitive offloading tools. The optimization might be convenient for the short term but long term it is questionable. The recent study has found that using AI as a cognitive offloading tool on a regular basis can lead to individuals feeling like they can't do the tasks they are required to do (critical thinking and processing the information).
The New York Times article “Thinking Is Becoming a Luxury Good” points out that the cognitive harm of social media is “more pronounced at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale” just like the negative health impact of junk food. And that is confirmed by the data showing the direct correlation of literacy and poverty with kids from poor areas spending on average two hours more per day on their phones, while kids from more privileged backgrounds enjoy childhood without the AI and social media. The class divide is undeniable, with further examples of tech billionaires not allowing their kids to use phones, and private education schools (Walford) banning phone usage.
However this is not new development, as the access to education has always depended on the socio-economical class. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu argued that education is not for learning but for elites building their cultural capital. He has defined different forms of capital, where cultural capital is the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in an academic environment, for example a child whose parents have a university degree is more likely to go to university. This leads to "symbolic violence” as students from a working class background believe that it's their failure when they do not succeed in academia, and not the failure of meritocracy and system, while academia tells them that it rewards talent based on effort.
The rise of the online learning trends of “the media to consume instead of the doomscrolling”, and “research as leisure activity” reflect our collective need for a deeper intellectual engagement. As we see more and more “brainrot” and AI generated content, while many rely on AI instead of their own comprehension, we collectively reflect on the significance of critical thinking. After all, the ability to read and write and create is deeply human and by using AI, we are being told that it's already done for us. The collective aspiration towards education and academia does not represent a counter against anti-intellectualism, but the reality where education and academia is an inaccessible privilege, becoming for many just that - an aspiration.
Daria Bezuhla is a Berlin-based video-essayist and writer. A cinephile at heart, she explores film, media and fashion trends through her video-essays and writing focusing on how culture, politics, and technology shape our perception. Follow her at @thatgirldaria on YouTube and Substack and @thatgirl_daria on IG
