Article Summary: Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

Nicholas Carr is well known American writer who has written article and books based on business, technology and culture. In 2011, he was the finalist for Pulitzer Prize in General Notification for his book The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains.In Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, he wrote for The Atlantic on Jul 1, 2008. It's very plausible, complicated and persuasive article. The article makes many believable connections to every day's life, compelling people by using metaphors, staying true to the point and using different rhetorical approaches.

In Nicholas Carr’s, “Is google making us stupid,” Carr indicates a problem that affects a majority of the internet users; that being as time we spend on the internet increases, the more we are diminishing our intellectual ability, and loosing the ability to become intertwined in a lengthy article or an extended book. He is suggesting that the technology we are in contact with on a daily basis, has a negative effect on our cognitive ability, and is forcing our brain’s to evolve. Throughout the article, Carr argues the negative effect media, mainly the internet, is having on his capacity and concentration: he effectively argues his point through the uses of many rhetoric appeals, that draw in the reader. His use of logos, compares the past and

People have become so accustom to information being delivered fast that they have lost their attention span. We no longer have the patience to read long sources of information. Along with that he says, “Our ability to interpret text, to make mental connections that form when we read without distraction, remains largely disengaged.” I agree with this statement, because we have adapted to the simplicity of finding information. Finding information on the Internet has become as accessible as heating up food in the microwave. We no longer have to think about it, because the Internet will do it for

In “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, by Nicholas Carr, he describes the correlation between Internet usage and common reading abilities. While informing the audience about the decreasing reading habits and the power of the Net.

One friend says he was able to read many books, and eventually after a while of using the internet his whole thought process has changed. He can no longer stay focus on long books; although, he is capable of skimming to gain quick, and easy information. His friend Bruce Friedman talks about how he is struggling to intake a long article from the internet and on a piece of paper. Bruce wrote an article, going in to details with a pathologist, he also admits not being able to read long books and articles.

In his essay, “Is Google Making us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr discusses societies dependence to easily accessible information. Since the inception of the internet and search engines, information has been accessible to us instantly. Although instant access to information is a desirable advancement in technology, it comes with questionable consequences. From his own personal experience, Carr explains that since this invention, his brain feels as if it has been tinkered with. Carr explains that his brain does not work the way it used to, that it’s very hard for him to become engrossed in books, articles, or essays. As he continued to try to become engrossed in these readings, he found that his thoughts would wander and he would become restless after just a few

In paragraph three, he expresses himself stating: “ And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it.” (2) While his statement correlates with multiple examples from his close friends and from research programs that he provided throughout his article, can we really hold the internet accountable for our lack of concentration and our reading deficiency? Carr, does not accept the simple fact, that people that can’t concentrate and cannot critically analyze what they are reading from the Net, are those that have lost their self discipline to differentiate what’s important and what is not. People definitively, should hold themselves accountable for their own defectiveness of reading, and most importantly discontinue bashing of the internet. In addition Carr, also disregards that the internet has giving us all the opportunity to expand our minds and to elevate our creativity which will lead us to continue to embrace innovation and endless opportunities for everyone in our

Although it is not as much present in the article, the slightest bit is seen when he depicts his own experience to the readers. He mentions that the net seems to be chipping away his capacity for concentration and contemplation. Then Carr uses reliable sources to support his claims such as Friedman, a pathologist at the University of Michigan, Marynne Wolf, a developmental psychologist at Tufts University, James Olds, a professor of neuroscience, and even the founders of Google. This makes the reader realize that Carr has read widely and thought deeply about this topic. Which also reflects to the dedication he has put in this

With the rise of technology, society is beginning to wonder if it is helping or hurting us. Many people privileged enough to have technology, argue that though technology is helping the world advance, it is altering our thoughts and perceptions. In Nicholas Carr’s article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid” he blatantly calls out the current generation and expresses his concerns about how the internet is changing the way people interpret information. Carr’s main claim is that the internet is causing people to lose their ability to concentrate and think on their own. Google can affect our cognition but depending on its uses it can make people smarter.

In his Is Google Making Us Stupid?, Nicholas Carr contends that the overload of information is “chipping away his capacity for concentration and contemplation”(315). He admits with easy accessibility of information online, the process of research has became much simpler(Carr 315). Yet such benefit comes with a cost. Our brains are “rewired” as the cost of such convenience(Carr 316). As the result, “we may well be reading more today than we did in the 1970s or 1980s...but it’s a different kind of reading, and behind it lies a different kind of thinking”(Carr 317). Carr argues the forming of such habits can prevent us from deep reading and thinking. In fact, he provides may evidences in the

In, “Is Google Really Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr (2008), he validates how people are heavily relying on the internet pushing for Artificial Intelligence. Carr also talks about how it is changing the way our minds work with negative side effects. He demonstrates how the internet may be shaping our thought process by giving observational examples as well as personal experiences. Beginning with his personal experiences he says how he finds it difficult to keep focused on a book, as a writer, this is rare to him. He tries to find a reason to his inability to stay focused and comes to a conclusion it is due to the internet. Carr is very persuasive in his article, although his point of view maybe seen as an opinion, he does show and support

I found the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid? “, written by Elizabeth Carr, very interesting (Carr, 2005). I enjoyed how it provided different examples of the increased dependency on technological advances in today's society. This increased dependency has also cause an increased demand for the ability to have access to the internet in almost any place; you can now have a car that has a continuous connection to an internet source so you’re never off the grid.

He explains how when reading on the Internet, we go from page to page affecting our concentration. Carr believes that the Internet has caused a lack of concentration in people’s ability to read long articles. Carr gives many examples of the studies that had been done on the enduring effects of the Internet on concentration and contemplation. People’s minds expect to process high speed data like the way the Internet hands out it, so the Internet is doing the work of their minds. Carr admits that the Internet had covered the other intellectual technologies that people use. As a result; it is becoming more important and valuable. Moreover, Carr discusses the role of Google in Internet usage, and its work on building an artificial intelligence which has the potential to display human agency in a variety of industries because of its ability to complete tasks in a much shorter time. Ultimately, Carr concludes that people should not rely on computers because it will demolish their own intelligence with relying so much on the artificial

In Nicholas Carr’s news article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (2008), he expresses his concerns on how technology is changing the mental capacity of our minds. The author first provides anecdotal evidence by giving relevant quotes from reputable sources, then he introduces notable historical trends as examples to support his claim, and to conclude he challenges his readers to rethink their views on the internet. His purpose is to inform readers on the negative effects of using the internet. He seems to have a younger, more tech-savvy audience in his mind, as they are exposed to technology at a young age. One can agree with Carr because as technology such as the internet evolve, our minds adapt at the cost our cognitive abilities.

The internet is our conduit for accessing a wide variety of information. In his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” Nicholas Carr discusses how the use of the internet affects our thought process in being unable to focus on books or longer pieces of writing. The author feels that “someone, or something, has been tinkering with [his] brain” over the past few years (Carr 731). While he was easily able to delve into books and longer articles, Carr noticed a change in his research techniques after starting to use the internet. He found that his “concentration often [started] to drift after two or three pages” and it was a struggle to go back to the text (Carr 732). His assertion is that the neural circuits in his brain have changed as a