The Internet : The Eudite Generation

As generations go by, our predecessors assume we are skipping out on important aspects of life just to get a few extra minutes on our devices. In Catherine Rampell’s “A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much”, it is said the older generations believe Generation Y is “coddled, disrespectful, narcissistic, and impatient” (Rampell 388). In all reality our generation is just doing what it has to in order to thrive in the world we live in, where technology is one of the largest parts of our everyday lives. If the older generations that criticize Generation Y had grown up in Generation Y they would realize the world we live in requires the use of technology. The advancement of society with technology has shaped Generation Y to be the people that they are, relying on technology; however, older generations believe Generation Y is lazy.

This is shown by the article “Attached to Technology and Paying a Price” by Matt Richtel when he said “in 2008, people consumed three times as much information each day then they did in 1960.” Before smart phones and laptops people had to look it up in a library if they had a question now people can get it quicker and easier with the power of technology. In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” Nicholas Carr states, “The internet contains the world’s best writing, images, and ideas; Google lets us find the relevant pieces instantly.” This shows that if people didn’t have Google, the students would have to look harder to find information that they have the ability to get right at their

He says that while Gen Z can take in a lot of information very quickly due to this technological upbringing they also lose interest extremely quickly. Also, they tend to be more private with this technology than millennials were, rather than posting everything online they are more likely to use more anonymous apps.

Nicholas Carr’s Is Google Making Us Stupid? explains the impact the Internet is having on his (and others) patience with in depth reading habits, and possibly the way their brain is processing information. The old days of having to spend hours researching a subject are long gone because of the Internet. Having such a powerful tool available at any time can be a good and bad thing wrapped up in the same package. Over the last couple decades, home computer and smartphone ownership has been on a steady rise with most homes now having multiple devices. Therefore, having unlimited information available at all times has become a reality.

Along with the progression of society, major advances have been made in hundreds of different fields — particularly technology. Controversy has risen, and debates ensued over whether today's young Americans are really “the dumbest generation,” due to their “money, media, e-gadgets, and career plans” [Source A]. While advances have been made, they have brought with them resources to benefit off of, and ultimately assist in the overall intellect and intelligence of the human race.

It is true that people are becoming more and more reliant on the internet to do everyday tasks. I feel that Carr addresses the issue perfectly in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid”. If we continue to use technology for everything, we will eventually lose all ability to deep read and make those critical connections that are necessary for true comprehension and application. He indicates that “the more [he] uses the web, the more he has to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing” (736). Knowing how difficult it was to read and analyze Carr’s article myself, I fully agree with his claims. Having grown up in a world that has always had technology, I must be hyper-cognizant of the task at hand when it comes to something such as reading, particularly if it is something that I deem less than interesting. When I was finally able to get through the entire essay, I started to think about how much I use the internet. I must admit that

Technology has allowed young Americans to transform the way they think and learn. According to a 2008 study by Mizuko Ito, the internet has allowed the flourishing of self-directed learning. The enormous possibilities the internet offers, allows people to delve into topics or research a variety of areas that interest them. People can now explore their curiosity endlessly. Researches have also noticed a change in literacy among the younger generation. The daily texts, tweets, and emails people send, keep them writing. According to Andrea Lunsford, all of these little writings add up and is pushing

Carr gives Google credit where it is due, but he also accuses this plethora of easily accessible information of "chipping away [my] capacity for concentration and contemplation" (Carr 390). Being able to obtain any information at anytime does give people a reason to not store any knowledge or worry about remembering important things--if you forget something, you can just look it up again. It is easy to see how Carr considers this a negative effect of technology playing such a large role in

First, this struggle starts out with just a want of convenience. Many people want convenience so they turn to technology. More often than not, I find myself reaching for my phone for pretty much everything. Recently I was trying to figure out how to pronounce a word. Instead of finding a dictionary or just asking someone I got my phone out and googled it. I don’t go to the books much anymore. I just reach for what I have on hand, which is always my phone. Also, Carr states, “The advantages of having immediate access to such and incredibly rich store of information are many, and they’ve been widely described and duly applauded” (Carr 589). He gives his readers a sense of just how much information there is to be had and how it is there in a flash when we need it. There is really no waiting around for information anymore when it is there immediately. Another example of how we turn to convenience is the digital

Through the internet and the change in learning this group is more self motivated to learn from each other versus just from the classroom. They also learn a lot more on their own. This expands “new forms of expression and rules of social behavior” (Source B). Consequently, the internet is more creativity and sense of self. As well as that “what makes these groups unique is that while adults participate, they are not automatically the resident experts by virtue of their age ” (Source C). Proving that Millennials surpass adults in the aspect of technology understanding and knowledge. Overall, the 30 and under generation are more self directed and creative in their learning prior than older

Mizuko Ito Et Al. noted, “Their efforts are also largely self-directed, and the outcome emerges through exploration, in contrast to classroom learning that is oriented toward set, predefined goals.” (170) Youth are more likely achieve greatness when they are let loose on their own. When they are in classrooms, everything is laid out and they have no freedom. Teens experiment with different forms of media and share their creations online with other people all around the world to see what they should do to help improve. This enables Gen Y to be more independent when it comes to learning and thinking, which is very

Being able to instantly gather information is easier than it has ever been before. People can go on the internet, press a few buttons and are given an endless amount of information. Do not anything about the topic, just Google it and it will provide the information that is needed. It has come to the point where people rely on the internet daily. However, there are downsides to having technology surrounding society most of the time. In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid? ” from the July/August 2008 edition of The Atlantic, Nicholas Carr, a writer and former member of Britannica’s Encyclopedia editorial board of advisors, expresses how technology is negatively changing how we think and act because of the influences people get from the technology

Nicholas Carr’s Is Google Making Us Stupid? is a great overview of the impact the internet is having on his, and others; life, brain, and habits. The old days of having to research a subject for hours to fully understand it is long gone. Having such a powerful tool available at any time can be a good and bad thing wrapped up in the same package. Home computer and smartphone ownership has been on a steady rise over the last couple decades, therefore, having information available at all times is hard to resist. Having answers instantly with a couple clicks on a keyboard can be valuable, but only to the extent that the information received is true. The impatience with having to spend time researching for the correct answer is ever growing to the point that any type of patience is a dying art. Retrieving information on a device is easier, but over time, can also disrupt the brains process of storing information long-term.

The advantages of having information so obtainable is that we can get information that we would like to know at the tip of our hands. Now that we have smartphones it is nice that we can look up addresses to certain places and be able to get the navigation application direct you to the location. It is nice to be able to get information that we need so easily I enjoy that it is so accessible. I constantly use the internet to look for information that I need. It can be to look up what certain person have contributed to history and how it has changed us. I also use it to find out side effects on medication or what is the medication is used to treat. This has helped me a lot at my job.

In today’s world 3 billion humans are on the internet but there are also 4 billion people that are not. In the beginning of my study on the future of the internet, I asked myself this question: is it possible that everyone could be online and globally connected? Then I asked myself how, if everyone is online, the future of the internet change the experience of everyday life? Looking back, the internet is still a relatively new phenomenon as it was first created back in the 1960’s by a computer scientist named J.C.R Licklider. He envisioned a network of computers, called the galactic network, which would allow humans to be able to share information instantly. Overtime this is how the internet developed, as many of these networks that shared