In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, Nicholas Carr emphasizes that he believes that the internet, Google in particular, is causing a negative change in the way people think. Throughout his article, Carr makes numerous great points and provides much evidence to support his claims. Although a majority of his points are valuable, not all convey his thoughts adequately or administer the right emotions. It is also important to point out that placing the blame solely on the internet, and not acknowledging that there are other factors that may contribute to this problem, is a bit of a reach.
Carr cites different sources, such as theorist Marshall McLuhan and psychologist Maryanne Wolf, to give his statements some credibility. These people are well-respected and add effective facts to this opinionated article. Alongside these men and women, he also references a few of his friends. This is where a problem may occur, as this could potentially indicate there was a bias in his research. Using a personal source may not have been the best choice, as anyone could obtain a quote from a friend. Someone who is already skeptical might find these sources efficient, but, in actuality, it is difficult to consider these sources reliable. Interestingly, his main example is himself. This could also be a problem, as he is basing this simply on himself and not considering that it may have been beneficial to have a larger sample size. Carr utilizes the story of Friedrich Nietzsche and his trouble with a typewriter as an example of how the tools one uses has an obvious impact on one’s performance. He states that Nietzsche’s thought process was different and he could no longer express his opinions the same way. This is interesting, for this all relates back to the brain’s function. One of the issues Carr is most concerned about is people bouncing between articles and ideas. All of these ideas being thrown together at once is an overload on the brain and could cause problems. Children are growing up with technology and it will impact them in a similar way as the typewriter did for Nietzsche. On the other hand, since children are now growing up in this environment, they may learn to adapt and find ways to overcome this issue. To a certain extent, one’s personal development will originate from the environment they have put themselves in. From the beginning, Carr makes it clear that he believes his inability to concentrate stems from his internet usage. In a sense, the amount someone spends online is somewhat like their environment, for one is influenced by the web just as they are in a physical setting. In this instance, the environment is the internet. This is definitely a valid concern and something that people should keep in the back of their minds. People are now using the web so often that it is impacting how they think. It is easy to see how one might view this as dangerous to society. One of the most interesting parts of the article is when he mentions that the world as a whole does not know the implications of the internet, as it has not been around long enough to form any definite conclusions. …show more content…
With any new idea or concept, there will be controversy and critiques. It is human nature for people to question something that could potentially alter the world. The invention of the automobile could be used as an example of a life changing event. There were clearly skeptics when the automobile was first introduced, but now nearly everyone is in favor of it. The same could be said about the internet. The internet’s impact on society is slightly different though, as it is focused more on cognitive concerns. One can understand where Carr is coming from when he says his mind is changing, it just seems a silly to blame all of this on Google. Carr mentions that people, himself included, are not “thinking the way they used to”, but I do not necessarily think that is detrimental. I can see where he would might think that is an issue, but I do not believe it is. To me, it is important to learn about different viewpoints and to consider all sorts of ideas. The world is
Carr cites different sources, such as theorist Marshall McLuhan and psychologist Maryanne Wolf, to give his statements some credibility. These people are well-respected and add effective facts to this opinionated article. Alongside these men and women, he also references a few of his friends. This is where a problem may occur, as this could potentially indicate there was a bias in his research. Using a personal source may not have been the best choice, as anyone could obtain a quote from a friend. Someone who is already skeptical might find these sources efficient, but, in actuality, it is difficult to consider these sources reliable. Interestingly, his main example is himself. This could also be a problem, as he is basing this simply on himself and not considering that it may have been beneficial to have a larger sample size. Carr utilizes the story of Friedrich Nietzsche and his trouble with a typewriter as an example of how the tools one uses has an obvious impact on one’s performance. He states that Nietzsche’s thought process was different and he could no longer express his opinions the same way. This is interesting, for this all relates back to the brain’s function. One of the issues Carr is most concerned about is people bouncing between articles and ideas. All of these ideas being thrown together at once is an overload on the brain and could cause problems. Children are growing up with technology and it will impact them in a similar way as the typewriter did for Nietzsche. On the other hand, since children are now growing up in this environment, they may learn to adapt and find ways to overcome this issue. To a certain extent, one’s personal development will originate from the environment they have put themselves in. From the beginning, Carr makes it clear that he believes his inability to concentrate stems from his internet usage. In a sense, the amount someone spends online is somewhat like their environment, for one is influenced by the web just as they are in a physical setting. In this instance, the environment is the internet. This is definitely a valid concern and something that people should keep in the back of their minds. People are now using the web so often that it is impacting how they think. It is easy to see how one might view this as dangerous to society. One of the most interesting parts of the article is when he mentions that the world as a whole does not know the implications of the internet, as it has not been around long enough to form any definite conclusions. …show more content…
With any new idea or concept, there will be controversy and critiques. It is human nature for people to question something that could potentially alter the world. The invention of the automobile could be used as an example of a life changing event. There were clearly skeptics when the automobile was first introduced, but now nearly everyone is in favor of it. The same could be said about the internet. The internet’s impact on society is slightly different though, as it is focused more on cognitive concerns. One can understand where Carr is coming from when he says his mind is changing, it just seems a silly to blame all of this on Google. Carr mentions that people, himself included, are not “thinking the way they used to”, but I do not necessarily think that is detrimental. I can see where he would might think that is an issue, but I do not believe it is. To me, it is important to learn about different viewpoints and to consider all sorts of ideas. The world is