On any given day if we want to figure out a quick piece of information, it's easy. All most people do is either reach for their laptop or pick up their phones and "Google". We don't use our own knowledge to figure anything out, we rely on the simplest thing, the internet.
Though the internet is very accessible and quick, Carr points out that because of the internet, "our own intelligence flattens into artificial intelligence." I believe that with our society and the new advances, people aren't as willing to dig deep and think hard for their own answers. What we want is for all the answers to be handed to us, and that is what the internet is giving us. A couple of quick clicks with the mouse, thirty seconds of skimming, and the answer is found. Does that mean we are becoming stupid?
I personally don't believe that it is making us stupid. There are still thousands of people out there who are very intelligent and can create things that people from the past never would have come across.Although that is kind of beyond the point, because as I sit here and think about all the small observations Carr has made about people today, I figured out that I am that person. I found myself going back and forth between facebook, itunes, and blogger. Along with that I can't stay focused on long articles or any type of readings. But is that a direct result from google or the internet? I still can't figure that out.
As our society keeps growing and keeps on modernizing, we aren't ever going to reach back to the traditional ways of life. Almost every household will have a computer, a cell phone, or some sort of electronic device that provides us with quick access to information. We may not be as critical of thinkers, because we aren't forced to use our brains as much as people had to in the past. Carr grew up in a unique time because he was able to watch technology advance the way we live our lives. It's so similar to the ways in which the clock changed the world. No one had set times for anything before the clock came around and now it's what we rely on, and that is what the interenet has become, and as Carr puts it perfectly, "it's becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV".
People have become accustomed to the way the internet has provided us with so much, it might not make us any smarter, but along with that I feel it doesn't make us stupid either. It just is a lazy way for anyone to get out of really using their mind. To some people that might mean that we are becoming stupid, but then again it just depends on the way you interpret it. Google is going to be around for a long time, it's not going away and that might just be the problem, but we won't ever know because the way we live is what we have all become accustomed to.
I agree that Google isn't making us dumb. No matter how hard we concentrate and use our critical thinking skills, we're never going to be able to figure out most of the problems that we use Google to find out. I mean, the answer to who wrote a certain song or what the flag of some outlandish country looks like isn't going to just spontaneously pop into your head. That's what we use Google for, and when we use Google, we gain that knowledge and we become smarter, not the other way around. There's nothing wrong with being able to find information faster and more efficiently than ever before.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think that it would be stupid to say that Google is making us stupid. It is just changing the way we think, which I guess could be both good and bad. Back in the day, people had to work harder to get the info they needed. Now we have it pretty easy. I have mixed feelings because I wish I could say I work just as hard as people did years ago. At the same time, however, I'm relieved that I have the internet to help me out. I'm usually a procrastinator with projects, so I don't think I would survive without the internet. Imagine doing a project on the last day and not having the internet to find pictures or last minute information about a subject.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you guys! I know that Google is also improving our knowledge, and I mean don't get me wrong, I use it all the time. I'm the worst thinker in the world, but I feel that there are some people who could actually use their brain instead of the internet, sometimes. I'm not so sure if that made a lot of sense but in short I agree with all the points you made Tim. I think that Google is a great search engine and provides us with so many answers, but people tend to get lazy with it too. You know what I mean? And Ali, if it weren't for the internet, I'd have a really hard time with any of my projects, and even homework too! It's crazy how much we actually use the internet and even depend on it for a variety of uses.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, you bring up some good points! The internet can be distracting at times, but is it affecting one's ability to focus on long passages? It's a valuable, abundant resource that probably has resulted in laziness, but I think overall has been much more beneficial.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree. Though, I do think the internet doesn't force us to think. If we want to find out an answer to something we just google it, and there's really no thought process going on. Especially when your researching something for school. Personally, when I'm online looking stuff up I don't get all the information and end up not understanding the topic. I mean I would much rather look something up on Google than search the library. But what Davey said is pretty much what I'm getting at; it just makes people lazy!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I do not believe that google is making us stupid. I think you bring up a very good point it that people can create things now because they have access to all this information that people in the past never did.
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