Is Google Making Us Stupid?

In his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, not specifically talking about Google, Nicholas Carr expresses his concerns on how internet has a way to promote power browsing and deliberately remap or reprogram our minds. In addition, his suggest that technology has a way of changing our characteristic with the example of Friedrich Nietzsche’s typewriter in 1882 which changes the styles of his writing. Also, with the mention of the “mechanical clock” commonly used in 14th century, he claims that machine has a way of controlling our senses. I agree with Carr’s concerns and point of views. He has many powerful examples with convincing researches and studies. I noticed myself browsing/skimming as I read and had a hard time to concentrating on long articles. I am guilty of looking for the suggestions and checking into other people’s input on issues before I conclude my own. With the efficiency of computer printing, I often prefer to see the neatly printed signs instead of a spontaneous handmade banner. Moreover, I admit my life is so structure that I raise my child or going about my daily routines by the clock instead of following my senses. Although Carr does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that the Western culture has been influenced in a negative way by the “artificial intelligence”. I can’t agree more on Carr’s constant reminder of the importance in “originality”. Technology does simplify our ways of living although it unifying us in many ways. It is hard to avoid the “robotic efficiency” as we struggle to meet the real world expectations.

George's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr

In his paper Mr Carr starts by equating our society with the movie "2001 A Space Oddesy". He seems to have a problem with people using "Google" as an information source while not having to go to the library for their research. He seems to bbe ignoring the fact that his notion of the "library" is now encompassed within Google and several other like venues. Knowing where to go to find any given information is half the battle when doing research. Google is not making us stupid, just giving us more options for finding information! However, that being said, we may be getting lazier since we don't have to physically go anywhere!!!

Is Google making us stupid? sometimes

In discussion of most people are power browsing, one controversial issue has been people don’t get good information from power browsing. On one hand Nicholas Carr states in his article Is Google Making Us Stupid?. “The web has been a godsend to me as a writer. Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes.” This arguing that when needed internets the best way to finding quick information. On the other hand Carr reflects work from Maryanne Wolf “Wolf worries that the style of reading promoted by the Net, a style that puts efficiency and immediacy above all else” contends getting a number or one word is all we get out of power browsing. Others maintain that Google has created the ultimate search engine or library in a since. My own view is that we do not find the best information from the internet in causes of power browsing. Though I concede that Google has made it easy for us to find data, I still maintain that we are unable to get knowledge from the internet, only from books. For example Nathan Shedroff says in An Overview of Understanding “ One of the best ways of communicating knowledge is through stories.” Although some might object that you are able to find stories and books online, I reply that your most unlikely to read or finish reading them online when there are quicker and easier ways to finding the answer you are looking for thru power browsing. This issue is important because without finding knowledge you are unable to obtain wisdom and wisdom, Nathan Shedroff says, “offers the greatest reward”.

Is Google Making Us Stupid Summary

In his essay "Is Google Making Us Stupid" Nicholas Carr suggests that even though the web has been a godsend to him as a writer, new age media is changing our way of reading and learning. As we reach out to the most innovative ways to collect information, books and older media are being phased out. Carr suggests that when reading online we skim the text for key bits of information instead of reading texts completely, which is called "Power Browsing." Rather than reading books fully and understanding topics, we are merely power browsing by clicking from one site to the next staying connected to the text just long enough to find what it is we're looking for. Carr uses the analogy, " Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski." Carr's observations are very eye opening because as we live our lives we never really stop and think about how things are changing around us. We all go with the flow and take in new things as they are presented to us, not considering any negative consequence that might go along with them. There will always be new technology and new ways of learning new material which will make our lives easier and faster. Are new technologies right or wrong? This is a question each of us should ask ourselves. But I know that as innovative ways to learn present themselves, I will continue to evolve and adapt just like the rest of our society, but I will not forget what got us here in the first place.

Erin's post on "Is Google Making Us Stupid"

Nichols Carr's article "Is Google Making Us Stupid" has many controversial statements and concerns. Stating many opinions about how google and the Internet has made us less of "deep readers," and more power browsers. Moving quickly from text to text in almost a computer like manner. Stating how "the net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation." In this article he makes many interesting points. One of which he states how a young man named Frederick Winslow Taylor carried a stopwatch into a Midvale steel plant in Philadelphia, and began experiments on improving efficiency with the plants machinists. By breaking down jobs into small steps, he discovered the factory's productivity improved greatly. Resulting in a method that is still used today in many factories across the world. Carr states "What Taylor did for the work of the hand, Google is doing for the work of the mind." All in all Carr's article is very interesting, and can really make a person think on either side of this subject.

My Carr Summary

In Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" he finds a recently published study of online research habits conducted by scholars from University College London. The scholars examined computer logs documenting the behavior of visitors to two popular research sites that provide access to journal articles, e-books and other sources of written info. They found that people using the sites revealed "a form of skimming activity" jumping from one place to the other and rarely coming back to anything they'd already visited. Typically reading no more than 1 or 2 pages of an article before skipping to the next site, sometimes saving long articles but there’s no proof if they actually went back to it and read. In their recent work they suggest that it’s obvious users are not reading in a traditional sense, there is a new form of reading and its is called "power browsing" claiming that online users skim "horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts." Only getting what they need and exiting.

Carr implicates technology is changing the way we may think and read when he mentions "thanks to txt on the internet, the popularity of txt messaging on cells" that we may be reading more today than we did back in the day but it's a "different kind of reading, behind it lies a different kind of thinking." The style of reading the internet’s promoting may be weakening our ability for deep reading. What do I think? Keep to the roots of original traditional reading, try not to let technology take over your life. The classic way is always best.

Is Google Making Us Stupid??

“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr puts forth the idea that the web can either be a godsend or a major hindrance. He states that the godsend comes from the immense information that is right there at your fingertips. Information that would normally take days to find in libraries is now only a mouse click away. The hindrance is it comes at a price. We now only skim the surface of a given topic without any real knowledge. After a while of “power browsing” online, we lack the concentration to pick up and read anything of substance. A book of a couple hundred pages on the same subject, or same story, seems like a monumental undertaking. Time that could be better spent looking on-line, looking at any number of other subjects. As he states “remapping the neural circuitry” to take in only tid-bits of information. It is up to each of us how much we want to dive in, or skim the surface.