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 Internet have taken a great toll on today’s society, mostly negative rather than positive, justifying our impulsive reliance on its immediate access to type of information. An example of this would be a personal experience of mine. I, along with many others, have found that most advancements in our society have, in fact, affected us in the most negative way. Poor reading habits being one of these negative effects. I believe that many people would agree with this. For example, nowadays I notice many older adults sit down at code shops and peacefully read an entire newspaper. They take the time to acknowledge and appreciate all the information given to them. Meanwhile, if you were to hand this newspaper to a younger adult, they would just skim it, only reading the material they find important and interesting. Here, we can see how this proves Mcdonald's idea of how older generations appreciate reading and information. Nicholas Carr's essay, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?", uses a more futuristic approach to support Mcdonald’s claims about how as time changes, so do our lifestyles and habits.
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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 progresses. Another futuristic example to support Mcdonald’s claims about how our reading habits worsened over the years would be Crovitz' essay "The Information Age". In this essay, he informs his readers about the affairs concerning our ability to multitask and how we obtain information through the web and technology. Here, we can also see how McDonald's ideas, regarding the way we poorly obtain and process all information due to skimming, are being proven. His motives are to inform his readers about the effects technology has had on our society and how it has guided our way to bad habits such as skimming and multitasking. His theory suggests that right now, our society is having difficulties adapting to technological advancements. Our inability to focus on one thing is due to the fact that we are overflowed with too much information and social media. For example, going on social media while doing your homework may hinder you from fully understanding the material. But he also points out that likewise, it may also be beneficial because you are able to find help and explanations online. It's solely based upon the idea that, as adults, we must differentiate what needs more attention and focusing on to do things efficiently. Once we master how to do so, we will be able to adapt to these technological advancements. Crovitz argument supports Macdonald’s because he informs his readers that technology
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 progresses. Another futuristic example to support Mcdonald’s claims about how our reading habits worsened over the years would be Crovitz' essay "The Information Age". In this essay, he informs his readers about the affairs concerning our ability to multitask and how we obtain information through the web and technology. Here, we can also see how McDonald's ideas, regarding the way we poorly obtain and process all information due to skimming, are being proven. His motives are to inform his readers about the effects technology has had on our society and how it has guided our way to bad habits such as skimming and multitasking. His theory suggests that right now, our society is having difficulties adapting to technological advancements. Our inability to focus on one thing is due to the fact that we are overflowed with too much information and social media. For example, going on social media while doing your homework may hinder you from fully understanding the material. But he also points out that likewise, it may also be beneficial because you are able to find help and explanations online. It's solely based upon the idea that, as adults, we must differentiate what needs more attention and focusing on to do things efficiently. Once we master how to do so, we will be able to adapt to these technological advancements. Crovitz argument supports Macdonald’s because he informs his readers that technology