I became obsessed with understanding what it meant to live during the transition from the late Industrial Age to the early Information Age.  

What I learned is that computers fundamentally alter the economics of information. We now have inexpensive access to more information, and to higher quality information, than ever before. In theory, that should help individuals reach better decisions, organizations devise improved strategies, and governments craft superior policies. But that's just a theory. Does it? 

The answer is "sometimes." Unfortunately, the "sometimes not" part of the equation is now poised to unleash devastating consequences. 

Consider the altered economics of information: Scarcity creates value. That's been true in all times, in all cultures, and for all resources. If there's not enough of a resource to meet demand, its value increases. If demand is met and a surplus remains, value plummets.  

Historically, information was scarce. Spies, lawyers, doctors, priests, scientists, scholars, accountants, teachers, and others spent years acquiring knowledge, then commanded a premium for their services.  

Today, information is overabundant. No one need know anything because the trusty phones that never leave our sides can answer any question that might come our way. Why waste your time learning, studying, or internalizing information when you can just look it up on demand? 

Having spent the past couple of years working in higher education reform and in conversation with college students, I've come to appreciate the power—and the danger—of this question. Today's students have weaker general backgrounds than we've seen for many generations because when information ceased being scarce, it lost all value.  

It's important to recall how recently this phenomenon began. In 2011, an estimated one-third of Americans, and one-quarter of American teenagers, had smartphones. From there, adoption among the young grew faster than among the general population. Current estimates are that over 90% of Americans, and over 95% of teenagers, have smartphone access. 

Even rules limiting classroom use cannot overcome the cultural shift. Few of today's college students or recent grads have ever operated without the ability to scout ahead or query a device for information on an as-needed basis. There's thus no reason for them to have ever developed the discipline or the practices that form the basis for learning.