Google: Dumbing Down Society Does the Internet make us stupid? Or does it simply allow us to become more efficient? The answer is yes to both, and these are questions that come to mind while reading an article titled “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr. If you were born in the early 90’s or before, it is safe to assume you have witnessed the rapid evolution of technology, which has now led to the simplicity of tasks that used to require a great amount of time and effort. In this article, Carr explains to us the ways in which he believes that technology has affected our society.
They might instead skip around, scanning for pertinent information of interest… I can’t get my students to read whole books anymore…” (318). Students are not focusing on reading a book from beginning to end. Instead, students tend to skim through and miss the important information which is a negative impact on them. Carr agrees that using the Web so often is having a negative effect on him because he is having a harder time focusing and reading articles which are more than a few sentences. He points out, “When I mentions my troubles with reading to friends, many say they’re suffering from similar afflictions.
Josh Haning Mr. Rogers English Final 05/31/2011 Us Stupid Google Making Is As times change, so must our methods of dealing with them. The evolution of media has changed the way we absorb information from writing to radio to television and so on. During these trans-formative periods, skills are lost and skills are gained; but to label the internet as the catalyst for the degeneration of our intelligence goes a bit too far. In his article ”Is Google Making Us Stupid” Nicholas Carr argues that, in its current form, the internet is not conducive to the kind of deep thought required when reading a long article or novel. He feels that while the internet is extremely useful, it is designed to distract as opposed to focus the mind.
He says that as a writer, he has ceased to go deep into the sea of words like a scuba diver but now rather skims through various texts on the internet propelled by hyperlinks just like a guy on a jet ski. He moves on further to generalize his problem, using as example his colleagues in the literary circle who have all identified the problem. This can also be viewed as a response to the counter argument that he’s the only one experiencing the problem. He however admits some limitations to his claim in the lack of definite scientific evidence in support of his claim even though he acknowledges a study as well as some scientific papers which suggest that the internet is actually changing the way we read and think. I believe that was a successful move by him to establish his credibility.
The book does concentrate mostly upon the American population, and an alien would get the impression that most of America likes to waste time away and rather than “…spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose (6)…” they would reciprocate the same action, except on the web. Throughout the book though the author does present the history and good, helpful aspects of the Internet, yet if the alien was smart enough they would realize that however helpful and amazing it can be, the contraption is more a detriment to productivity in most activities, and wouldn’t recommend it to his species as a tool needed for
If anyone was to look at the comments on Carr’s essay located on the internet one would realize how many people are opposed to Carr’s argument just like Hornsby. Most of these anonymous internet users told about how the internet has done nothing but help improve their research and study skills. It was very rare to see any comment that strongly agreed with Nicholas Carr. One comment, that was against Carr’s argument, said that the copious amount of information on the internet allows people to skim through the thousands of words until they find a piece of work that catches their interest allowing them read more in depth when something catches their interest. What this unnamed internet user was trying to explain is that if a reader is skimming and not interested in a subject online, that it is the author’s fault and not the internet as a whole.
Ray Bradbury talks about Fahrenheit not so much being about censorship but about being a society that didn’t read. People in the story are not intrested in reading because they think books are the cause of depression and how books carry on myths and legends. Also how technology has replaced books and that it has also affected relationships. To begin with people are siimple and unquestiong. They depend upon technology so much they think is a waste of time to open up a book.
It’s time to turn the computers off. The minds of this generation should not be spoiled by the new wave industrialization called social media. If we do not come to understand the harsh realities that technology shadows under its web of social networking sites soon, we may never be able to repair the damage that it causes. Social media can be a huge blessing, but at the same time, if we’re not careful how we use it, it can become a huge curse. Do I Really Have Join Twitter?
Summary of “Is Google Making Us Stupid” by Nicholas Carr Nicholas Carr argues in, “Is Google Making us Stupid?” that the internet is changing the way we think. The internet looks to be slowly taking away the ability to focus very long, and is becoming the most widely used medium for information. Carr has the feeling that he no longer thinks like he used to. Reading a long book or article is no longer enjoyable to him. He attributes this feeling to the extensive use of the internet and computers, even though this usage of the internet has been to help him write.
Jena Saucier 3/5/2013 Negatives of Love Online In today’s society, more people are choosing to find love over the internet, whether it be a dating website or Facebook. There are many negative consequences to looking for love online. Such as no visual communication, false identities and how much time it takes up from one’s personal life. One reason why people shouldn’t find love online is because you never really know is on the other side of the screen. There have been cases where teens meet people over the internet and have an online relationship, but when they end up meeting it isn’t exactly who they thought it would be.