Mcdonald's 'Is Google Making USupid?'

In Macdonald's essay, "Reading and Thought", the author cautions his readers that our society has developed bad reading habits due to an abundance of information. He proposes that because there is so much information supplied by newspaper articles and magazines, people are beginning to read less and skim through important details. His ideas are supported both by Carr and Crovitz who have written specifically on this issue concerning reading habits and how recent generations have reacted negatively to our world’s technological advancements. Being part of a generation that is so fond of new technology, I can personally say that the way it affects our daily lives has proven Mcdonald’s idea that as time progresses, our reading habits worsen. Technology and the …show more content…
Carr uses his own experiences with Google to inform his readers of the negative effects that it has had on our society so far and the damage it can cause in the future. His example includes how Google has allowed our society to adapt to bad habits such as skimming carelessly, as opposed to detailed analytical reading. He supports this theory by admitting that he notices himself skimming and finding short articles online because they tend to be more convenient. Due to the Internet’s convenience and access to abundant amounts of information, people tend to lean more towards skimming because reading everything the Internet provides us thoroughly, would take too much time. Carr's overall motive is to propagate to his readers that what he sees in the future is not acceptable and that we must do something to stop technology from controlling and negatively altering our cognitive functions. In essence, this relates to Macdonald’s argument because it supports his position on how advancements on our society are affecting us more as time