i think popular culture media is making us smarter, especialy the internet. My main reason for thinking this is that we need only a computer and a few minutes to find information on any topic we want to learn about in our own home or where ever we are that gets a signal. I can remember growing up without the internet, and if there was something i was even remotely interested in learning about I had to either drive, get a ride, or take a bus to the library then go through the dewy decimal index cards to find the book or topic im interested in go hunt for it then read through it. All these steps were very time consuming and cost money. There were many times that i didn't have that kind of time so I wouldnt bother with it. Yet now I can take just 5 minutes out of my day and find out exactly what it is I want to know.