ipl-logo

Is Google Making USupid Analysis

907 Words4 Pages

Google and reading
“I am not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I am reading.” This quote is from the article, Is Google Making Us Stupid? Written by Carr Nicholas in 2008. In the article, the author illustrates how the internet has progressively influenced human cognitive abilities.
Carr begins his article by giving a personal experience on how the internet has made him a poor reader. He illustrates how it was initially easy for him to read through a lengthy book or article without losing attention or getting bored. Irrespective of how long the narrative was, Carr would get caught up in the pose and turn from one page to another at ease (Carr1). But his problems began when he started spending too much time on …show more content…

A good number of those who shift from reading print books to using online sources do so in efforts to seek for convenience but end up noting that their way of thinking has changed. For instance, Bruce Friedman who is a pathologist said, “I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print” (2). “Friedman admits that he can comprehend short passages from online sources but has totally lost ability to concentrate when reading a print source that is beyond three paragraphs” (Carr …show more content…

Results from this study showed that such people would hop from one article to another without reading it in deep to understand the concept. Despite the current ubiquity of text messaging, either through mobile phones or e-mails, which has made researchers get into a conclusion that presently people do read more than in the last Centuries, the intent of reading is different. Carr uses such instances to show the reader that by changing the style of reading from print to internet sources, the mode of thinking changes completely. “The web promotes immediacy in preference to interpretative reading, and this kills our cognitive capacity” (Carr2). According to Reading is an instinctive skill that depends on our interpretation abilities and, therefore, our cognitive circuitry that develops from the internet is entirely different from that of printed works.
The author goes on to explain how people are guided by machines such as their watches to act other than following their natural senses. As people continue to depend on the web for everything, their mind becomes outdated such that they are no longer able to contemplate whichever information is at their exposure. Such instances leave me wondering whether Google is interested in driving us to

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    224 Words  | 1 Pages

    In “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, the author, Nicholas Carr, is arguing against the effect of our increased access to information. He is unsettled by the common idea that we’d all “be better off” if our brains were supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence. Carr describes how am immediate access to a rich store of information from the Net has shaped his process of thought by reducing his capacity for concentration and contemplation. He is worried that placing efficiency and immediacy above all else is weakening our capacity to make rich mental connections that form when we read deeply without distraction. Carr uses an anecdote of the printing press to demonstrate how equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    182 Words  | 1 Pages

    Summary One Nicholas Carr in his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” states that the internet is causing deficiencies in reading and has caused people to have brief attention spans while reading a book. Carr immediately goes into explanation on how he can no longer sit to read without becoming “fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do.” Carr then uses the rhetorical device of ethos by using creditable sources to back his claim. He uses a claim from scholars at University College London that stated, “It is clear that users are not reading online in traditional sense,” therefore stating people are skimming and scanning for information.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    273 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” Nicholas Carr argues that Google is deteriorating the human mind. He mentions that people no longer want or even need to deeply read information and retain it because the particular information that they are looking for can just be Googled. In fact, he argues against this by stating that everything is not available on Google, and things that are available on Google are not necessarily true. Another con of this, he states, is that it is extremely difficult to read off of a computer screen. Carr argues that people’s brains are not programmed to read something in depth if it is off of a computer or phone screen.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    330 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, Nicholas Carr expresses his concern that the internet could be negatively affecting the way people think. He begins to argue his point by explaining his own issues of not being able to immerse himself in a book like he could before. Carr then reveals his suspicion that it’s the internet’s fault, and supports that by comparing his own experience to others. Reading is a common hobby for most of the people Carr compares experiences with. Like Carr, they found it difficult to read longer pieces of writing, and some blame the internet as well.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    313 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr argues that the internet has been changing the way of human cognition. He supports his argument by emphasizes the negative experience that the readers are difficult to focus on deep reading when they read online. In addition, he illustrates the professionals’ studies and explanations of how new technology influences the internet users’ cognition. He concerns that artificial intelligence has slowly changed and has controlled human brain activity.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    259 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nicholas Carr wrote the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?’’ where he tries to argue out his opinion. The article is about reading which is being eroded to his belief. Carr believes the deep reading is now a struggle due to spending time online. He describes the web as a valuable tool but it has a bad impact on concentration. He points out that people read more because of the Web but deep concentration to reading printed books is disengaged.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    552 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, Bruce Friedman, who Carr mentions, says, “I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print” (348). This concludes that internet has altered his mental habits. He provides many evidences such as a few internet behaviors to let the audience to conclude about his points. Another example that Carr explains very well on how text on the internet is using fast and profitable. He talks about how the internet make other people money and how our critical thinking skills and reading skills are decaying in the process of using the internet.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    1228 Words  | 5 Pages

    To support his claim he uses Scott Karp who admits to have stopped reading books all together. Karp says that his reason for reading online is “I’m just seeking convenience.” Carr argues that we read online because we feel the need to be efficient and that instead of reading with “skim” an article. Carr uses Wolf once more to support this claim, Wolf believes that when we read online we put emphasis on “efficiency” and “immediacy” she says this change in our values prevents us from forming deep thoughts and from forming literacy connections. Carr says that these values also affect “old media” such as television shows and newspapers because they like, online reading have to find more “efficient” ways to deliver information.

    Read More

  • Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    463 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr feels that over past few years there’s been a change in the way he thinks. Carr observes that there is something that is changing his memory and restructuring his brain’s way of thinking. Carr suggests that research that would require hours in library going through bundles of text has now ended up in few searches on google, which has degraded the power of contemplation and concentration in a human brain. Carr points out that he is not the only one with this reading problem he has other acquaintances that have similar problem of focusing on large pieces of writing.

    Read More

  • Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    1340 Words  | 6 Pages

    Next, he cites the ideas of Maryanne Wolf, a developmental psychologist at tufts university and the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. Wolf speaks of a phenomenon known as “We are how we read.” Wolf is concerned that the web puts both “Efficiency and Immediacy” above anything else. It all plays directly into the idea that humans want things to be easy, we want to get to the main idea of an article quickly so we can move on to something else. This mentality is human nature, but she argues that it, “ May be weakening our capacity.”

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid

    1147 Words  | 5 Pages

    Not only does this study demonstrate that the internet has a positive impact in people’s daily life, but it also demonstrated that internet usage helps understand complex reading. On the other hand, Mr. Carr’s argument is inaccurate because he believes that since the Internet has an incredible source of information many people get lazy and only depend on the Internet which makes them less

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    942 Words  | 4 Pages

    Carr mentioned that many of his acquaintances have experienced the same changes in their reading as well. He presented a study on online research habits done by the University College London. They found that people would jump from one website to another and only skimmed through the article. Nicholas Carr concludes his argument by revisiting the 2001: A Space Odyssey scene and express how the internet is converting society more machine

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    139 Words  | 1 Pages

    Nicholas Carr’s essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” discusses the benefits and dangers associated with technology, and the internet, or Google is the focus of the essay. He argues that technology is changing humans cognitive thought process, and not in a healthy way. Carr admits that he notices the changes in his own ability to concentrate and comprehend lengthy readings. Not only does he express concern about his own capability of reading he also mentions several other bloggers, and philosophers’ experiences with their ability to decipher long articles. Moreover, he emphasizes historical technologies that have influenced change in our intellectuality such as, the typewriter, the printing press, and the mechanical clock.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    1201 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Nicholas Carr’s Is Google Making Us Stupid? he expresses his position in what many people do not consider when reading online. Carr proves to the readers that our minds start shifting on how we read, from readers who want to take in every word of the information given to a reader who skims through and grasps bits and pieces. He presents his reasoning with actual college research from different sources and compiles them into a well proven point- the internet is changing us in a way we never thought of noticing. Within the title itself, he blames it first on the widely-known search engine, Google, to use a common tool most if not all readers go to in order to find their answers in a split second.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

    696 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Is Google Making USupid Analysis

Open Document