42: Critical Thinking: The Lost Art in the Age of Information Overload

Remember when thinking used to be a thing? I mean, really thinking—considering all sides, weighing options, asking the right questions. Today, it feels like critical thinking is vanishing, quietly slipping away under the avalanche of TikToks, memes, and sensational headlines. We’re so swamped with information that the mental energy required for basic reasoning often feels like a burden. Instead, we opt for shortcuts, bite-sized conclusions, and surface-level engagement. But the price of this shift is steep: a world where logical reasoning is rapidly becoming an endangered skill.

Let me share a personal experience that perfectly sums up our current predicament. I’m in China, at a fast-food joint. I see they offer both a cheeseburger and a chicken burger. Simple, right? So, I ask if I can get a chicken burger with cheese. Logical, I think. They have the cheese. They have the chicken. Just throw it on there and charge me for it. The answer? “Impossible.”

Now, in what world is it impossible to put cheese on a chicken burger when both items clearly exist? What I was facing wasn’t a lack of cheese but a lack of flexibility in thinking. Instead of problem-solving, they were clinging to a fixed mindset, bound by an unnecessary rule that cheese belongs only on beef. But this isn’t just a fast-food oddity. It’s a microcosm of how rigid our thinking has become in a society overwhelmed by convenience and instant gratification.

Let’s zoom out. In a world where social media algorithms are designed to feed us content that confirms what we already believe, it’s no wonder we struggle to think critically. Every day, we're bombarded by micro-content—TikToks, Reels, tweets, headlines—each trying to grab our attention for mere seconds. The result? We’ve trained our brains to skim, swipe, and scroll instead of analyzing, questioning, and reasoning.

Think about it: when was the last time you fully read an article without mentally checking out halfway through? According to a study by Microsoft, the average human attention span has dropped to 8 seconds—shorter than that of a goldfish. So instead of reflecting on information, we grab the fastest conclusion we can and move on. Critical thinking requires time and effort, and who’s got that in an 8-second world?

This decline in reasoning has real-world consequences. Look at how misinformation spreads like wildfire. From false health advice to political propaganda, the inability to discern fact from fiction is rampant. Studies show that fake news spreads six times faster on social media than the truth. Why? Because it’s sensational, it confirms biases, and most importantly, it doesn’t require much thought to absorb. Critical thinking, on the other hand, would demand we question, research, and verify. But that’s not what gets likes and shares.

Think of your brain like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. The less you use it, well, it atrophies. In the past, problem-solving, debating, and rationalizing were the equivalent of regular mental workouts. Now? Our brains are on a steady diet of junk food—quick fixes, simplified answers, and superficial thinking. Critical thinking is like lifting weights, but too many of us are content with mental marshmallows. And just like physical fitness, if you don’t use it, you lose it.

Need more examples? Look no further than customer service in any large corporation. Ever try to reason with a customer service rep, only to be stonewalled by rigid company policy? It’s like dealing with the cheeseburger dilemma all over again. Or take the workplace—where “we’ve always done it this way” is a common refrain, even if “this way” makes zero sense in the current context. Creativity and flexibility in problem-solving are often the first casualties when critical thinking takes a backseat.

And what about education? Many schools emphasize rote memorization over critical analysis. Students learn to pass tests, not to think critically about the material. As a result, we’re churning out generations of people who can regurgitate information but struggle to apply logic or ask the important "why" and "how" questions.

The solution isn’t easy, but it’s simple: start questioning everything. No, not in a conspiracy-theorist kind of way, but in a way that encourages depth. Take time to assess the information coming at you, ask questions, and be open to perspectives that challenge your own. Push beyond your comfort zone and resist the urge to let algorithms do the thinking for you.

The antidote to a lack of critical thinking isn’t more information—it’s better thinking. Train your brain to pause, consider alternatives, and resist the quick conclusion. If you start treating your mind like the muscle it is, you'll be lifting those mental weights with ease in no time.

As for a chicken burger with cheese? Next time, I might just bring my own slice of cheese.