In the United States, the primary source of being informed about new information today is through the internet. Although there are still select people who read the newspaper, newspapers are seldom read by the average American. Why is it that we would rather find our information on the internet rather than in a newspaper? The answer to that question is the simple reason that we do not have to travel anywhere to obtain the information; it is already within our reach and easy to access. Even though it is at such easy access, how much more damage is being caused to our brains by using the internet rather than reading a newspaper? Nicholas Carr addresses this issue in his short story Does the Internet Make You Smarter or Dumber. Nicholas Carr, a graduate with a bachelor 's from Dartmouth College and a master 's degree from Harvard University, is an author who writes about technology, business and, culture. Carr uses his knowledge of technology, information from articles and experiments along with a neuroscientist to establish that the internet is affecting our brain. Nicholas Carr has an extensive awareness of the damage that technology is doing to our brains which aids to create a foundation of credibility. In fact, he has written and published various …show more content…
With an extensive background in technology and a graduate from Harvard and Dartmouth, Nicholas Carr is able to share his knowledge with us on why and how technology is damaging our brains. Wrapped up in a short essay, he displays discrete information which forms a structure for his claims he applies his own knowledge, data and, facts from experiments as well as a second source of knowledge from a neuroscientist. Carr is able to establish credibility throughout his short story he gains validity by proving his accusations correct within each source that is given to us. Carr 's short story Does the Internet Make You Smarter or Dumber is a credible and useful academic source that could be effectively used in a research
Summary of "Is Google Making Us Stupid" by Nicholas Carr The internet has become a necessity for many people these days, it provides quick information and is a primary source of knowledge. In the article, "Is Google Making Us Stupid", the author Nicholas Carr, is describing the effects that technology has on the human brain. Carr begins with a scene from the end of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, where supercomputer HAL is being disconnected by astronaut Dave Bowman who was sent to space on a deadly mission by the machine.
Carr also comments that the internet makes people more shallow –thus the title of his well-known book. This is because the internet takes away from attentive thinking. The internet constantly bombards its viewers with a lot of varying information and because of this the viewer is forced to multitask and loses focus of any original, contemplative thoughts. This multitasking effect is a key element to the very design and business model of the internet, as Carr suggests in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The faster a computer user can read and click, in other words the more the user can multitask, the more he/she gets to see, and the “more opportunities Google and other companies gain to collect information about us and to feed us advertisements.” Thus, in the end, internet multitasking negatively affects users but positively benefits the inventors and marketers.
The article “Mind Over Mass Media”, written by Professor Steven Pinker, describes the impact of media on human lives and brains. Pinker illustrates the benefits people gain from using the worlds quickly increasing technology and media. Pinker suggests that today’s technology such as, PowerPoint, Google, and other forms of social media can actually enhance and bring more intelligence to the mind, instead of being detrimental. Critics believe that the many different forms of media can lower intelligence. However, Pinker declares that scientists are using all of this technology everyone else is using, and are still discovering new things.
Is Google Making People Stupid The internet is here to make a change in the lives of many and to make technology easier in general. Nicholas Carr is a writer who focus on technology, business, and culture (Carr, Hal and Me ). Carr enjoy reading books, and researching information he also noticed that while he was reading a book his mind would drift after two pages (Carr, Hal and Me). Carr believes that the internet is a distraction, and people just go to the internet for everything.
Brainless.com: Rhetorical Strategies in Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Do we depend on the Internet to answer all of our questions? Nicholas Carr, an American author, wrote “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” published in 2008 in The Atlantic, and he argues about the effects of the Internet on literacy, cognition, and culture. Carr begins his argument with the ending scene of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Nicholas Carr, What the Internet is doing to Our Brains The Shallows (2010) asserts that, “The price we pay to assume technology’s power is alienation.” He supports this assertion by saying, “They both ultimately achieve their mental and behavioral effects by shaping the synaptic organization of the brain.” Also by, “ We long to keep it activated.” The writer concludes in order for people to improve their thoughts, they will have to cope with the new technology and how they think. Carr believes that technology is taking over how people interact with each other.
Clay Shirky, the author of “Does the internet make you smarter?” wrote about how ignorance has poisoned the internet with incorrect information. Not only does technology has its flaws, but so do books and novels dating back to the Protestant Reformation. Even though many people are against the internet Shirky reassures that if used correctly and appropriately, then it can become a very useful tool that can “tap our cognitive surplus”. The increased collaboration of technology is important to society for the reason that the internet is full of valuable knowledge that can be claimed very quickly and easily. Increased collaboration is absolutely a benefit.
Steven Pinker wrote “Mind over Mass Media” which tells of this claim is more false than true. Pinker reminds us that if technology was actually making us more stupid, then how are we scientifically better than ever before. Critics are believing that the mind is being shaped by everything it is seeing and hearing. The only problem here is the lack of self control people have when it comes to the distracting parts of the internet we use so often. People tend to find themselves reading tweets instead of articles now.
The study showed “sophisticated algorithmic search engines, has made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger. No longer do we have to make costly efforts to find the things we want.” (Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips, Pg.) “The four studies found that when people are faced with difficult questions, people are primed to think about computers.” (Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips Pg.)
The Influence of Technology In the essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr argues that utilization of the internet has an adverse effect on our way of thinking and functioning in everyday life. Whether it be reading a newspaper, or scrolling through Facebook, internet media has forever stamped its name in our existence. Carr explains to us that the internet is a tool used every single day in today’s society, but also makes most of us complacent with the ease of having the world at our fingertips.
Our way of thinking is beginning to change to the way that computers do. Advancements are made everyday. These new advancements are attempting to make life in general easier for everyone. Nicholas Carr makes the claim that, “as the internet because our primary source of the information it is affecting our ability to read books and other long narratives.” Carr suggests that using the internet is altering the way that our minds operate.
Nowadays, the internet is the biggest marketing and media tool that people can use today. It can have various effects on people’s daily life ranging from bad to beneficial. In the essay “Is Google making us stupid” by Nicholas Carr writes about how internet usage in the 21st century is changing people’s reading habit and a cognitive concentration. Particularly, he emphasizes on Google’s role in this matter and its consequences on making people machine like. Carr also stated that the online reading largely contributes to people’s way of reading a book.
Nicholas Carr's argument against the internet was very strong, and it persuaded me. It is very difficult for me to go against his opinion. I agree that the internet is changing us, but not in ways we think. There are long-term effects of using the internet as often as we do. He states that the internet is changing the way our brains function such as having a shorter attention span, negatively changing the way we critically think, and negatively changing our reading skills.
Is technology bad for us? Who knew that technology usage can lead to memory problems? Since browsing through social media is very common nowadays, the brains are bombarded with electronic information. From instant messaging to blogs, it is easy to forget some things. Over the years, the debate about whether or not technology has a positive, or negative impact on society gets talked about on many sites and social media platforms.
Thompson also claims that digital tools can help people’s lives become easier and connect with other people through social media. Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Smarter?”, argues how technology doesn’t make people any smarter. Carr mentions how people’s literacy is being overthrown by technology. People tend to read whatever interest they want by using a search engine rather than reading books. Another