An editorial comment titled "Of shallow likes and links" in New Sunday Times (22 April 2012) is somewhat interesting as it raised concerns that the internet generation is indulging in too much inanity. Inanity simply refers to something stupid, silly, or meaningless.

It says "Going by what appears to be popular on online social networking sites and the pattern of inane Internet sensations, it is almost tempting to give in to the idea that society is rapidly becoming mindless."

What the editorial is trying to highlight is that it appears the younger generation is now focusing more on the mundane things and gossips rather than the more serious subjects. Comments on Facebook or Twitter, the editorial says, do not have to be intelligent to garner massive amounts of likes. The simpler the comment the more response it is likely to get.

Deep soul-searching debate on the state of environment, nation, or even education, does not draw big crowds. It asks questions like "Should stories be simplified and presented in bite-sized form to cater to shrinking attention span?"Or should the elders in society resign themselves to just saying, " This is what the internet generation is interested in?"

I agree that there's the need for society to strive to inculcate a culture that values intelligent thought and scholarship particularly among the younger generation, otherwise they will not have the depth to indulge in intelligent debate. That will be a waste, isn't it? They need to be taught to think critically from young! And the Internet should be fully and intelligently used for this purpose!