Summary Of A Thing Like Me

Technology, the advancement of knowledge and productivity through the application of tools, information, and techniques to create an effortless process, has ultimately lead to the declination of our society and our future. In “A Thing Like Me,” Nicholas Carr addresses the development of technology from the day it was created and how it initiated an immediate impact within the lives of humans leading to an unhealthy dependency. Carr establishes how technology, what was intended to be a tool, has become the “pacifier” of our generation. This “pacifier” causes a loss of freedom, not through the laws of the government, but rather with the values of freedom one holds within themselves. This freedom is the individuality that distinguishes each person from the next, and forms a desire for the development of oneself through the experiences of life and the wisdom that is acquired along the way. Technology has blinded man from this pursuit of self-enhancement and with the advancement of technology occurring daily, there is no resolution. Each day people are confined within themselves and the pieces of technology that will continually limit them in their lives. Freedom is more than just a concept of laws instilled by the government, it is the thought process found within each individual person and their “hunger” to become more. With technology, social media was created and immediately immersed within our lives. The society of today has

The reason Nicholas Carr wrote this article is to inform people of the danger of Internet overuse through his use of ethos, logos, and pathos, along with other rhetorical devices. He starts with a scene from a classic movie that dealt with the prevalence of technology, 2001: A Space Odyssey. He shows that with the technological advances of today, the line between human and computer has starts to grey.

Humans are becoming more technologically-efficient every day. New inventions and innovations are constantly being made. The Internet is becoming more “reliable” every day. However, how much do we really get from the constant advancement of Internet use and smarter technology? Should we look at their contributions to the world as a benefactor or a curse? The common effect of “artificial intelligence” in the technology we use every day is examined by two brilliant authors, Nicholas Carr and Jamias Cascio. In Carr’s article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, he explains the effects of the Internet and technology in our society and claims that the overuse of technology is dangerous and can affect how our mind operates. Jamias Cascio, on the other

Technology has played an influential role in the growing society of today. It has been the technological mother-nature to the brain, as people seek guidance from its false intelligence. In the novel Feed, written by M.T. Anderson, the main focus is on the effect that technology has on a society as a whole. With technology, such as the feed, it can be beneficial when used correctly. It can help a person come up with just the “right” words when they’re stuck on a paper, or even when they are having a conversation with another individual. Technology is a good resource in most cases; however, it is not truly a benefit when overused. It turns into an addiction, and people begin to rely on it too much. Technology that is similar to the feed should be removed, because

Technology is the epitome of human evolution. We are the only species we know of to have successfully developed tools, not just primitive ones, that’s been done before by other organisms. The tools I’m talking about are the ones which enhance our senses beyond their human abilities. Tools like GPS, farming equipment, calculators. These are tools that push the limits of human ability beyond what can be naturally achieved. Through these tools we can navigate the earth on a scale far beyond our ancestors, we can turn a field that would have previously taken months, and we can compute mathematics that further our understanding of our very existence. However, these tools might be taking more than they give; at least that’s what Nicholas Carr argues in his essay A Thing Like Me. In his

Computers in general give people the ability to complete tasks that would have taken days or weeks to complete with the clicks of a few buttons. As technologies continue to grow the amount of adjustments that will be needed to make will be astronomical. However, society is aiming to help people gain the skills needed to push mankind further. In Davidson’s essay, she discusses how computers and technology can be put to many applicable situations. While working with her students, the “Duke students came up with dozens of stunning new ways to learn [and] almost instantly students figured out that they could record lectures on their iPods and listen to them for leisure” (Davidson 52). This advancement took a few weeks at one college campus in the United States when the technology was still being developed. Now, students have adapted to begin working across the globe to further society with new ideas for applying these technologies. These students now work diligently to make technology as effortless as possible so that their programs will be what will be used in the future. Gilbert discusses how when people are judged by a panel of others they tend to feel worse about themselves but, when dealing with computers people are only judged by one computer which tells them

As time moves on, people begin to forget about the little things, and focus more on the bigger picture. New discoveries are being made that can make a task become easier and more efficient to accomplish. However, not all of this new technology proves to be better. In Bonnie Laing’s “An Ode to the User-Friendly Pencil,” she argues about the benefits of a pencil while outlining the drawbacks of a computer. Laing’s viewpoint on this topic is convincing because she argues her perspective effectively, she uses rhetorical devices expertly to enhance her opinion, and the overall essay can be relatable to almost everyone.

Ray Bradbury once said, “Why go to a machine when you could go to a human being.” This statement has become progressively true as an increasing number of people rely more on0 technology than they do human interaction. They prefer to depend on the screens in front of them, thus farther removing themselves from society. In “The Veldt,” Ray Bradbury uses foreshadowing and figurative language to convey that separation from family is initiated by dependence on technology.

“People Like Us” by David Brooks examines diversity in America and argues that even though society tends to idealize diversity in a way, most of us don’t really care too much about it as long as we are happy. In the first paragraph Brooks states “ what I have seen all around the country is people making strenuous efforts to group themselves with people who are basically like themselves”. This is something that most of us notice on some scale, but what does it say about the need for diversity in America? Brooks explains “The United States might be a diverse nation when considered as a whole, but block by block and institution by institution it is a relatively homogenous nation” This is an irrefutable truth, we all know that cities like Laredo Texas and Lincoln Nebraska are predominantly white and in cities like Detroit Michigan and Jackson Mississippi the population is predominantly black. However, what we fail to realize is the extreme racial separation that is taking place naturally at a much smaller scale, not even city to city but neighborhood to neighborhood and house to house. Brooks backs up his claim with the following example, “In Manhattan the owner of a three million dollar SoHo loft would feel out of place moving into a three million dollar Fifth Avenue apartment”. Politics, religion, income, lifestyle and general outlook on life can change in a matter of blocks. This may all seem

This is accomplished through the use of anecdotes. Carr opens up by quoting a 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, in which an artificially designed supercomputer (HAL), intended to good for the astronauts, but in the movie, HAL goes on a murdering spree killing the astronauts it was intend to help. The anecdote puts Carr argument into perspective, as the reader is emotionally attached and feels that Carr might be on to something. Following this anecdote, Carr gives out facts of how “someone has been tinkering with [his] brain” ( Carr 91) and how “Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Carr 92). The mix of antedates and facts paints a complete picture within the readers head, similar to the movie, that although the internet is a godsend we should not whole heartedly rely on the internet without knowing the effects on our brain down the road. Furthermore, toward the end of the article, Carr uses dark lungs to further instils fear in his article as he is “haunted” (Carr 101) and “afraid” (Carr 101) “as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world” (Carr 101). By Carr using a mix of anecdotes and facts in his article, he makes a connection between the film and the internet; as he is not wanting the intellectual ability of our generation to decline as our brains evolve to face the

Large companies like Google and Bing have made finding things you are looking for several times easier. Despite all these wonderful improvements, there are always some downsides. At the right time and place, technology can be used effectively and proficiently. Sometimes, however, it is unnecessary and downright stupid to use in certain circumstances. For example, texting someone and notifying them of an important event can be useful, but not when you text your friend' "Hey," when you are sitting right next to them. People are going as far as making AI, or artificial intelligence in order to interact with someone, despite there being 7 billion other people on the planet. Professional or hardcore gamers have gone to extremes in order to keep their career and or reputation afloat. They are willing to stare at a screen for days at a time, barely eating or drinking, all while wearing an adult diaper, only doing it to reach 1st place on the leaderboards. Technology has not only affected how we act, but how we think as well. In the novel, Carr talks about the idea of neuroplasticity, which is the concept of the brain being able to

Andy Clark, in Natural-Born Cyborgs, offers an extended argument that technology’s impact on and intertwining with ordinary biological human life is not to be feared, either psychologically or morally. Clark offers several key concepts towards his line of reasoning. Clark argues that a human being thinks and reasons based on the biological brain and body dynamically linked with the culture and technological tools transparently accessible to the human. This form of thinking and reasoning develops new "thinking systems" that which over time become second nature thoughts and reasons and are the basis of even newer "thinking systems." It is a repetitive cycle that continues forever being built upon previous systems.

The short story “Marionettes, Inc.” shows how technology is a great tool and a privilege to have. It was used to help Braling deal with a situation that he didn’t want to deal with. Braling was “married to a women who overdoes it,” she wanted to be all over him all of the time and it kept getting worse. It’s unfortunate for Braling because he married his wife for the wrong reasons. When Braling married his wife he was only thinking about his business, his mother and father. When you marry someone for the wrong reason there are consequences that you have to deal with and the consequence are not good and it’s not something that you expect to happen.

John Thackara, director of Door of Perception, conveyed his concern that pervasive computing is infiltrating out society in such a way that we are becoming machine dependant. The problem with the pervasive computing and the Autonomic System is that it removes the responsibility from our lives. It is like the frog in boiling water story. If a frog is directly placed into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out as fast as it was put in. If, however, the frog is placed in a pot of cold water that is heated up, the frog – unaware of the slow yet constant increase in temperature, will be cooked before it is aware of any danger. This scenario can be paralleled in our society. If a person 25 years old from the 19th century were placed in today’s society, that person would jump out in terror and

In the future, we may be able to build a computer that is comparable to the human brain, but not until we truly understand one thing. Lewis Thomas talks about this in his essay, "Computers." He says, "It is in our collective behavior that we are most mysterious. We won't be able to construct machines like ourselves until we've understood this, and we're not even close" (Thomas 473). Thomas wrote this essay in 1974, and although we have made many technological advances