Nicolas Carr’s article Is Google making us stupid (2008) discusses how technology affects cognitive exercises such as attention span, critical thought, and the acquisition of knowledge. How the internet and technology have changed how we perceive and process knowledge.
Carr begins by narrating an excerpt from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001. A Space Odyssey. There, Hal’s mind is dismantled and he claims to feel his mind go away. Carr’s insinuation that this scene is a parallel to Hal’s mind shows how the two are connected. He concludes his article by stating that “…people became so machine-like that the most human characters turn out to be machines…it is our intelligence that flattens to artificial intelligence.” The internet is a great resource for information and resources. However, it makes it difficult to concentrate on longer text. Carr begins to feel like someone has reprogrammed it. “The internet has promoted ‘efficiency and immediacy’ over all else,” so that we believe Google can answer our questions. Since there is no effort required or need to do our research, it “weakens” our ability to read deeply.
Carr discusses Maryanne’s work. She explores theories on how technology can help us learn new languages. While he supports the inherent ability of speech stemming from our brains, he doesn’t believe we should be reading or learning. Wolf’s work reveals that neurons in the brain adapt to their environment and seek to grow in troubled areas. Carr also mentions Nietzsche’s style change from his typewriter. Carr introduces the idea how the brain adapts and becomes more like the technology it is exposed too.
The internet is one the most life-changing and omnipresent technologies we have. It is evident that it has a profound effect on the mind. But Carr also points out the impact on human behavior. With a multitude popups, ads, and easy-to-access hyperlinks, the net encourages cognitive distractions. But hyperlinks aren’t all that bad. Knowledge is what we want and the internet can show us our weaknesses. Although our flexible brains can be a positive, Carr points out the downsides. It’s easy to navigate the internet without really understanding the information. Your brain is shaped and affected by the experiences you have.
The article concludes with the skeptical ideas held by people throughout history. Although technology is inevitable, it can also lead to new innovations that are still thriving in modern times. Socrates could not foresee how writing and reading would help spread information, spark new ideas, expand human knowledge. Google, as well as other knowledge search engines, can accelerate human computational processes, and give us the possibility of generating knowledge.
Technology promises to save our time. However, modern people still struggle to find time for appointments, homework, family time, or to just be alone. Carr examines an important issue when he notes the decline in reading length and our inability to comprehend the text for ourselves.
Google is not the only person to be held responsible for the accusations. Instead, technology and the internet serve as a constant source of information. It’s not that there aren’t enough hours, it’s the fact that people in today’s world have more time than their ancestors. Carr says that the external influences on our minds can be very significant. This is despite our modern mindset of “Go!” Our “Go!” lifestyle leads us to want more than we need. We are driven by our insatiable need for information. This is evident in the rapid communication and powerful media. Although complaints about the oversaturation of technology in our society are logical, we subscribe to premium cable, fast internet and unlimited data. We still plan when we don’t have the time.
The net is responsible for our need to find information, since it has made it possible to eliminate isolation. The world has become more complex, with more information available, and it seems that what happens is more important to us. Our connections are increasing in complexity and need our help. While it is possible to live a normal life and not know Donald Trump completely, one cannot fully participate in society if they don’t know anything about him. Every social group has its own celebrity public figure. I expect to be able to recognize Albert Einstein’s famous equation E=mc? for class.
Our intimate knowledge of the environment helps us adapt to our surroundings and help us survive. As the world becomes more diverse and grows in complexity, we need to be able to see our global community from a perspective that is small enough to live in it. Not that technology is making us stupider, but the opposite. Our tendency to substitute depth for broadness leads to us skimming, summarizing, and ignoring the finer points. We are aware of the demands on our time, but we try to do our best to make it work.
