Not geniuses per se…. but there is a definite increase in the, overall , level of knowledge among the people. ( I am not to positive about the intelligence — but, knowledge is another story) I also believe it is due to the amount of information we all have access to these days ( although it is not being accessed nearly enough as it should be) as well the speed and convenience of access.

Plus there is the amazing ability to exchange thoughts and ideas among large groups of people with same or similar interests who, otherwise, would have never had a chance to exchange one word- So, suddenly, instead of just a few “experts” in a certain field, anyone who is interested in it has an opportunity to learn, and develop their knowledge without the need of going through educational systems which a lot of people still can not acess. And… things are bound to develop exponentially

( of course, the downside of it all — as we are seeing- is that the same networks are being used to spread idiotic propaganda and all sorts of destructive ideas and beliefs)

I do believe that there is something like “collective intelligence” , or “collective knowledge” ( or whatever the right expression would be) — and ever since internet started reaching all corners of the planet, thus opening up resources for those who want to find them — there has been a “spike” in the overall knowledge. Another thing which might have been influenced by the technical developments is the fact that people are much more willing to take into consideration another person’s ideas —when when the other one is not coming from academic or “expert” background.