Rhetorical Analysis: Is Google Making USupid?

Nicholas Carr in the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” argues that the more people use technology, the more it’s making people stupid. Throughout the article he mentions many examples where he proves himself correct. Google is making us stupid because it’s affecting our concentration the more we rely on technology.

In “Is Google Making us stupid”, Carr explains how the brain is malleable and how the internet might be shaping it by literally rewiring the brains network. Carr gives a brief example of how neurons can be made and broke depending on what things shape the way things are done. By being used to instant searching and internet preferences, the brain reprograms itself in being used that certain way. He thinks by using the internet so much, we will become more and more objective and quick thinkers, and ultimately emotionless computers. He also gives examples of how the clock and typewriter changed our way of thinking in the past. Adapting this way will rewire thought processes and continue to dictate how we act. Carr’s theory may be more obvious as we continue to be reliant on technology. (Carr)

Nicholas Carr, posed the question, “Is Google making us stupid”, and asks his readers to give it some thought. The article made suggestions such as the internet changing the way the mind works and that the internet has negative consequences on the human brain. Carr wants everyone to be cautious of the internet because of the many different ways it has affected and will continue to affect the way we think. When I think about this article, I can see the many different tactics Carr used, such as fact vs fiction, cause and effect, and the clearly stated argument.

The internet has made an immense impact on every generation since its existence as it continues to grow throughout time. Its effectiveness is prodigious; the internet allows people to gain information that once took days to retrieve it in a few minutes (Carr 1). Writer Nicholas Carr, in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, explains that the use of internet and technology causes harm to people and their brains. Carr’s purpose is to address to internet users that Google (or any electronic helpers) is making them “stupid” and lazy because it minimizes their concentration and willingness to think. He attempts to adapt to his audience, dedicated internet users, as he uses the rhetorical appeals to try to convince them of his purpose. However, this was not enough. Nicholas Carr’s article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?,” is ineffective because of his poor use of ethos and logos despite his good use of pathos.

In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, the main argument the author, Nicholas Carr is trying to make is to explain how the Internet becomes our only source of information. Carr is also trying to warn oncoming generations in how the Internet has affected our ability to read long pieces or to be able to retain information for a long period of time. Carr provides personal experience, imagery, and a professional analysis that is backed by research to hook the audience in and persuade them that in today’s society, the Internet is only causing problems rather than any solutions.Throughout the article Carr provides an abundant amount of rhetorical modes by giving examples and studies from different organizations . Carr gives an insight on the positive ways the Internet had influenced his life.

Technology has changed how the world lives today, but technology always hasn't been around. Every year technology surpasses the next with the latest, fastest and reliable stuff. Marketers, producers and authors use Aristotle's three appeals for advertising and attracting more customers. Authors use Aristotle's three appeals to target readers by channeling in emotions, being logical and having credibility.

In the essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, Nicholas Carr expresses his beliefs and personal experiences on how the internet has altered our brains and how we think. He addresses the fact that, although our brains’ abilities to deep read and concentrate are suffering, the internet is extremely beneficial and convenient. Because of the easy accessibility, it takes little to no effort to find information, and therefore, a minimal amount of thinking is required. Carr highlights that people are more impatient because of the internet and that our minds are becoming more erratic. The author used research, conducted by a U.K. educational consortium, to show that a new form of reading is developing over time; rather than reading every word on a page, it has turned to more of a skimming method. Nicholas Carr realizes that we may be doing more reading than ever due to the internet, but it is different in the way that people have to interpret the text. Reading, unlike talking, is not a natural ability. One must learn to deep read, make connections, and translate the underlying meaning. Overall, Carr believes it is a mistake to rely fully on computers because in the end, it will just be our own intelligence that morphs into artificial intelligence.

of “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” published in 2008 in the Atlantic, believes that the internet is “tinkering with our brains” and has even admitted to seeing changes within himself. Carr created this article to inform people about how societies ability to read and comprehend information is being changed or harmed by the use of the internet. Carr did have some errors such as structural problems with his thesis and also struggled with an informal writing style. Despite some of these errors, Carr’s use of rhetorical techniques such as ethos, pathos, logos, and ample amount of personal and factual information along with the emotional touches, allows him to develop a strong persuasive argument.

He tries to use a persuasive tone in this text because he does not want the generations to come to be inadequate of the wiring in people’s brains to change with what the person does to it. He tries to make the audience feel the same as him towards the Internet, especially Google. He does put a little humor through out his text bashing on the idea that Google is ruining our brains. Even though he tries to appeal spite of dislike in his text he comes off that the readers are thinking the same, and he as well wants to raise a connection of sense that he is right. Carr quotes that he can “Maybe I’m just a worrywart” for what’s to come for the new generations in using Google. Nicholas Carr does provide a good argument with many different supportive studies in this text but he struggles to persuade his audience enough in using pathos. He does have a strong input about how he feels about the usage of Google but he only see’s one side of his argument and not how much the web has helped and impacted people today. He is very one minded about this situtuion and uses to many different studies trying to show that Google is the main reason to making us stupid but his studies aren’t strong enough and the evidence he uses can go both ways from a con to a

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.

Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, questions the impact the technology has upon our lives. He argues that the internet prevents our ability to engage in deep reading and thus restricts our ability to think critically. He says this is due to the idea of neuroplasticity, which is where our brains change in order to adapt to the different stimuli it encounters. When books were first introduced, our brain had to rewire itself in order to achieve the ability to focus for long periods of time on text and to think deeply about it. This resulted in a literate deep thinker. However, the internet has forced our brain to rewire itself again. Carr says that “there is evidence that the cells of our brains literally develop and grow bigger with use, and atrophy or waste away with disuse” (22). Our brain has many structures that perform specific functions and the structures associated with deep thinking can decrease and eventually will serve no function if we don’t use it. We are much better thsn our ancestors. According to Carr, “the oral world of our distant ancestors may well have had emotional and intuitive depths we can no longer appreciate” (56). In other words, Carr believes that people in the past engaged in focused, immersed thinking. I believe that Nicholas Carr is right when he says that the internet is changing the way we think, however I don’t believe that we need to turn off the internet in order to reduce the chances of losing

Most Americans use the internet daily. Although it is very useful, it is also very hurtful to the brains of everyone. Nicholas Carr goes into detail about why he feels this way in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”. This article mentions researches and opinions from not only Carr, but from outsiders as well. Carr explains his reasons on why he feels the internet has limited the knowledge of everyone. The main reason that Carr argues is that our brains have the ability to reprogram themselves due to the use of the internet and I agree with him because we do not dig into books like in the past, we get on our social medias instead, however, I disagree with him because computers and the internet have helped the world tremendously with technology

Most of Carr’s friends are also the literary type, and they are experiencing the same troubles. The longer they are on the web, the more they fight trying to focus on long writings. Aside from Carr’s friends, even some bloggers have mentioned this phenomenon. One online blogger, Scott Karp, writes about how he has completely stopped reading books. Karp wrote, “I was a lit major in college, and used to be [a] voracious book reader”. Karp is now such seeking convenience because his thinking has changed. Scott Karp is not the only blogger making a statement about the Net.

A little bit about our author Nicholas Carr, he is a well-known American writer, interest in technology and culture. He has published books, essays and blog posts, his work “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains” was a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist and a New York Times bestseller. He is also a former member of the Encyclopedia Britannica’s editorial board of advisors, he got an M.A., in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University. In “Is Google Making Us Stupid” Carr writes about the impact that the Internet is having on his brains as well as everybody’s brains, by giving himself as an example “I can feel it, too. Over the past few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has

Nicholas Carrs article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” makes points that I agree with, although I find his sources to be questionable. The article discusses the effects that the Internet may be having on our ability to focus, the difference in knowledge that we now have, and our reliance on the Internet. The points that are made throughout Carrs article are very thought provoking but his sources make them seem invaluable.