See ehh, checking the intellectual standard of a society isn't that hard. Just look at the kind of content that gets the most engagement within our demograph, and you'll realise that, to a large extent, we're becoming intellectually backward.
Post something educational or thought-provoking, and it'll barely get any attention unless the creator already has a massive following. But post about nudity, chaos, divorce, gender wars (the OG 😂), or any controversy, and the engagement goes through the roof. Before long, the people pushing that content become role models.
One major problem with this is that these topics have become so normalised that when people come across someone who is genuinely articulate or intellectually sound, the first reactions are:
"Oh, this person is using AI."
"Oh, you and your big grammar."
Because, they can't even properly comprehend or engage with the message being passed across. I won't put all the blame on the audience, Blogs and media platforms have played a huge role because controversy is good for business, and controversy attracts views.
My worry is for the younger generation. If they're constantly exposed to shallow and sensational content, they may grow up without knowing what intellectual depth or meaningful discourse even looks like.
A society that rewards noise over substance shouldn't be surprised when substance becomes rare.
Lack of money is not the only thing holding you back. Nigeria is a good example of that. With all the natural resources and wealth we have, look at where we are compared to countries with far fewer resources. By that metric alone, we should be far ahead of them