A Critical Review of Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Nicolas Carr is a well-known writer and technology critic. Among his works is ‘Is Google Making Us Stupid?’, a magazine article published in the Atlantic Monthly in the summer of 2008. The article examines the effect of the Internet and google on brain functioning. Carr questions whether high amounts of Internet use is a detriment to one’s ability to concentrate. While he does little to conclusively prove the article’s central theme, his line of reasoning is logical and his final conclusion is viable.
Carr begins by discussing his personal experience with the Internet. He has noticed that, since he began regularly using the internet his intellectual capabilities seem to have worsened and “[his] …show more content…
The majority of the examples he uses are anecdotes, either from his personal life or from history. While anecdotes can often be reasonably used to support an argument, they are far from conclusive proof due to their inability to reveal larger patterns. For instance, Carr’s example of Nietzsche’s typewriter affecting his writing and thinking does not definitively prove that the Internet will have the same effect. The single study he references, which concludes that visitors to selected scholarly websites do not actually read the articles, does not establish any actual correlation between Internet use and reduced concentration, nor does it prove the causation put forth by Carr. Because the study observes a single case and does not observe a larger pattern, it essentially acts as another anecdote. Carr also refers to the opinions of experts in the field of psychology who also believe the Internet may have a negative effect on brain functioning. While the opinions of experts likely hold more weight than the opinion of a layman, they remain opinions, not verifiable data, and can only be used to support an argument, not to prove it. Furthermore, experts can disagree on certain subjects. In this case, Maryanne Wolf, the psychological expert quoted by Carr, feels that the internet may be a detriment to a habitual user’s intellectual capabilities, another Guy/gal. Additionally, the title of the article, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, is somewhat of a misnomer, as Carr’s main focus is not whether the Internet and Google have an impact on intelligence, but whether they have an impact on one’s ability to
Nicolas Carr is a well-known writer and technology critic. Among his works is ‘Is Google Making Us Stupid?’, a magazine article published in the Atlantic Monthly in the summer of 2008. The article examines the effect of the Internet and google on brain functioning. Carr questions whether high amounts of Internet use is a detriment to one’s ability to concentrate. While he does little to conclusively prove the article’s central theme, his line of reasoning is logical and his final conclusion is viable.
Carr begins by discussing his personal experience with the Internet. He has noticed that, since he began regularly using the internet his intellectual capabilities seem to have worsened and “[his] …show more content…
The majority of the examples he uses are anecdotes, either from his personal life or from history. While anecdotes can often be reasonably used to support an argument, they are far from conclusive proof due to their inability to reveal larger patterns. For instance, Carr’s example of Nietzsche’s typewriter affecting his writing and thinking does not definitively prove that the Internet will have the same effect. The single study he references, which concludes that visitors to selected scholarly websites do not actually read the articles, does not establish any actual correlation between Internet use and reduced concentration, nor does it prove the causation put forth by Carr. Because the study observes a single case and does not observe a larger pattern, it essentially acts as another anecdote. Carr also refers to the opinions of experts in the field of psychology who also believe the Internet may have a negative effect on brain functioning. While the opinions of experts likely hold more weight than the opinion of a layman, they remain opinions, not verifiable data, and can only be used to support an argument, not to prove it. Furthermore, experts can disagree on certain subjects. In this case, Maryanne Wolf, the psychological expert quoted by Carr, feels that the internet may be a detriment to a habitual user’s intellectual capabilities, another Guy/gal. Additionally, the title of the article, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, is somewhat of a misnomer, as Carr’s main focus is not whether the Internet and Google have an impact on intelligence, but whether they have an impact on one’s ability to