Critical Analysis of "Is Google Making Us Stupid"

999 Words4 Pages
Carter Campbell Mr. Abedinifard ENG 102 (AS25) 31 Oct 2014 In his essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, published in The Atlantic, Nicolas Carr expresses his opinions on the effect the internet has on people’s attentions spans and their intelligence. Carr talks about how reading lengthy articles has become more challenging for him as his internet usage increases. “Immersing myself in a book or article used to be easy. That’s rarely the case anymore” (92). Not only does Carr believe this but states others, including friends and colleagues are also experiencing this affect. Carr’s goal is to push readers to think more critically about the negative impact internet usage can have on one’s ability to read and articulate articles. Although Carr provides some anecdotal evidence it is not sufficient evidence to prove that Google is making us stupid. In completing a critical analysis of Carr’s essay I will examine both the weaknesses and strengths of his argument and provide research and literature to support my belief that Google is not in fact making us stupid. Carr begins his essay by saying “I’ve had the uncomfortable feeling that over the past few years someone, or something has been tinkering with [his] brain”(91). He suggests that due to his internet usage he has a more difficult time being able to read and think critically about lengthy readings. He mentions having difficulty analyzing long articles or books and states his friends also complain of similar difficulties. He believes when a person is attempting to read an internet article and it is riddled with ads, pop-ups, and hyperlinks, it is challenging for readers to read such an article without being led or pushed onto different pages and websites. Carr relies heavily on his and his friend’s personal beliefs and fails to reference legitimate studies done in order to determine the causation of shorter attention
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