Instead of isolating ourselves in our newspapers,

we used to talk to each other and just make up the news.

I happen to understand that fellow.

He's simply longing for an era of refinement and culture.

People used to read books.

No one reads books anymore.

That old cliché is completely false.

More Americans read books today

than did in the 1950s.

Huh.

And, by the way, when books were invented,

snobs like you hated on them too.

One intellectual even thought that too many books

would harm the mind.

Blast this...

That's ridiculous.

If you don't read books, how will you know

how smart and superior you are?

Ahh! Ooh!

Well, according to Socrates, you aren't.

The father of philosophy himself complained about

the ultimate corrupting modern invention, the written word.

The written word creates forgetfulness

in the learners' souls.

Back in my day,

we memorized and recited our lessons.

Reading is for the lazy and the stupid!

No! My personal identity!

It's okay, he was wrong.

Just like you're wrong about the internet.

No, no, things are worse now.

I can prove it.

People used to communicate with each other,

not like these solipsists!

I'm sorry, what do you think people use these devices for?

Literally, all they're doing is communicating.

He's keeping in touch with a friend from college.

She's writing an email to a fellow researcher in Poland.

I'm cyberbullying a child.

(Adam) Okay, they're not all winners.

But the point is, we're all communicating more now

than we ever were before.

We weren't better people back before we had smart phones

or the internet.

We were the same, lazy, curious, social people we've always been.

The only difference is now we have instantaneous access to

all knowledge and communication.

I mean, how is that anything other than a tremendous

social good?

Instead of pining for an imagined past,

we should feel immensely lucky

to live in the magnificent present.