This seven page article, which I was dreading to read, made a ton of sense. Nicholas Carr goes on to explain that people are not thinking the same way that they did before the invention of the internet. He writes " I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I'm always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle." I honestly believe that this is true. Since the creation of search engines such as google, it has become easier for us to find information, but in fact, it has also affected how our brains function and how we comprehend things.
Throughout the entire article, Carr uses things from the past to show how different people are now because of new technologies. He talks about the printing press and all the problems that people thought were going to come along with it. This is exactly what it is like with the internet.
People rely so much on these things, that they forget about the importance of reading and writing.
Not only does the internet affect people and the way that they do things, but it also affects other traditional media. Like Carr said in the article, "Old media have little choice but to play by the new-media rules." This is so true. Whenever the internet makes revisions, old media has to step up and do something so it will still exist.
Overall, I agree with what Carr said. The internet does have an affect on our brains, and really is changing how we do things. I know that I am one of those people that will go online and skim things and not read the entire thing, but after reading this article, I think that will change. I wouldn't go as far as to say that Google is making us stupid, but the it has, in fact, played a huge role in how things in society have changed over the years.
I agree that the internet is causing a lack of focus when we try to read long articles and books, but is it necessarily a bad thing ? Everyone is saying that " the internet is making us stupid" or that " it makes it harder to focus " but what about everything the internet has done that is good? It seems that compared with 20 years ago, we are reading more than those teenagers ever did. Everytime we turn on the computer we are reading facebook posts,e-mails, and pop-ups. Sure, I am not saying I disagree with Carr, but we just need to think about the other side of the argument.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mara, there are so many good things that the internet can do for us. I know that it is slowly changing our thought processes, and that it can make our attention spans shorter, but think about all the good that the internet has done for the world. It enables us to spread news of a disaster faster so relief can arrive in a matter of hours, it enables businessmen to do business with others all over the world, and it enables us to meet and stay in touch with people from other countries. I used this analogy in my blog: The internet is a lot like alcohol. When it is used in moderation, it can be a lot of fun, but if it is abused, it can have damaging effects.
ReplyDeleteWhile some may believe the internet is changing the way we process information, I believe this to be one step too far. Unless proven, I think its simply shifting our reading habits. This article creates a lot of hype but doesn't have the concrete evidence to back it up.
ReplyDeleteHistory has proven with instances like the printing press and even popularization of writing these advancements to benefit society far more than hinder it; why are we questioning it now?
I think that you have a good point Dave, but then again if you think about it, how many people can really focus for a long time? As soon as I read that, I realized that today a lot of people have a hard time reading something that is extremely long, and I feel that a lot of that has come from google or just the internet itself. Then again, it has benefited us tremendously, but we always have to think that there are probably some downfalls that our society has witnessed as a direct result of google.
ReplyDeleteI definetly agree with Amanda. Almost all my friends hate reading, they'd rather watch a movie or go online. The internet, and technology in general, is destroying love for books. I love to read and am thankful the my many hours spend online have not eradicated my concentration. As for Google making us stupid, there are many arguments against it. My main point is that technology is crushing the thinking process into nothing.
ReplyDeleteI agree one hundred percent with what you said. I too find it difficult to simply concentrate on writing this response without being distracted. With my phone going off, the other tabs flashing from facebook updates, and the music I am also listening to it can be difficult to concentrate. If i really put my mind to something I can concentrate no problem, but the problem is that technology today makes it very easy to distract yourself.
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