The Owl Has Flown By Nicholas Carr Essay

Over history technology has changed mankind’s overall culture. From clocks to computers the use of electronics and tools is occurring every day in almost all situations. In Carr’s article “Is Google Making us Stupid?” he introduces the idea how the internet is changing our lives by making us mentally process information differently from the past, based off previous changes in history. Carr explains how we think less deeply and rely on quick facts, versus using critical thinking and research. Also he explains how our brain is malleable, and may be changed by the internet’s impression. Lastly Carr talks about what the

Although its intention was to nourish our minds with an instant unlimited source of valuable information, the internet has caused some people to lose their appreciation for long texts and their ability to concentrate. Within the essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, the author feels that someone has been tinkering with his brain and that he can no longer enjoy reading a book of any length because he cannot sustain concentration on the book (Carr 1). This is a result of the fact that when people use the internet to find information, they habituate themselves to skim along the lines to quickly allocate their answers and once they have gotten what they needed, they close the browser without any further analysis of the information.

The internet, in short, is our everyday savior when in distress. Technology is our main source of communication in the 21st century. However, according to Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, published in the July/August 2008 issue of the Atlantic, the internet is reprogramming his memory, and remapping his neural circuitry. Carr accuses the internet of taking away his focus and concentration.Even though Carr uses logos intensely and multiple rhetorical approaches in convincing the reader of his point of view, he fails to make a logical, persuading argument for multiple reasons.

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.

The debate over the internet's influence on human minds has been long running. Nicholas Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" article successfully defends both opinions on this issue. He has plenty of history on the topic and has seen much success in previous works. Carr uses his past to impact the present issue society is challenged with every day. With his background on the subject, Carr is able to establish credibility as a speaker before he reasons for both sides of the debate successfully.

It’s hard to believe that Google began as a small online search engine created by two college students in a dusty garage, which eventually developed into one of the most prominent companies in the world. It started in California in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, two individuals who aspired to collect the world 's resources in an organized manner, making it universal and accessible for all. Programs like Google expose users to an infinite amount of material, allowing individuals to process information at an unprecedented rate. With just a click of a button the World Wide Web makes this possible, but are we truly aware of the side effects it may have on our brains? The New York Times best seller, Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What The Internet is Doing to our Brains explores how the Net shapes the way our minds think. He argues that the medium to which information is presented can be more influential than the content itself, thus corrupting the minds of individuals in ways that society may or may not be aware of. Carr also implies that the Internet is making individuals incapable of reading deeply, specifically with long pieces of writing, which essentially affects a person’s capacity to concentrate and analyze information. Through Carr’s personal experience with technology, we also get an understanding of the roots of his ideologies.

Nicholas Carr’s Atlantic Online article “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” discusses how the use of the computer affects our thought process. Carr starts out talking about his own experience as a writer and how he felt like “something had been tinkering with his brain, remapping his neural circuitry and reprogramming his memory”. Since starting to use the Internet his research techniques have changed. Carr said before he would immerse himself in books, lengthy articles and long stretches of prose allowing his “mind to get caught up in the narrative or the arguments”(July/August 2008, Atlantic Monthly). Today Carr has found that “his concentration drifts away from the text after several pages and he struggles to get

Each and everyday around the world there are new advances in technology attempting to make life more simple. In the article by Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, Carr explains his beliefs on how the internet is causing mental issues in today's society. Carr starts with his own opinion, he says the Internet is causing him to lose focus quickly. He cannot stay hooked to a book. He writes about his life being surrounded by the internet and how it has created problems, like not being able to stay focused on a reading; but it is interesting how he says the Internet has been a ‘godsend’ in his chosen profession. Carr uses a great deal of rhetorical appeals to try to connect with the audience. He compares the past and the present and how it has altered the

The internet is a technology which has had a significant impact on the way many people conduct their lives. Information once contained in massive volumes at libraries or in private collections is now available by typing words into a search engine and clicking “search.” One must no longer pick up a phone to call a friend, relative or colleague; e-mail, instant messaging, Skype and the like, have enabled people to communicate in non-traditional ways and across boundaries previously inaccessible. Nicholas Carr addresses the wonder that is the internet in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The general direction of the article is a discussion of how intelligent thought patterns seem to be changing; attention spans and critical

American writer, Nicholas G. Carr, in The Atlantic July/ August 2008 Issue titled “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” argues that the amount of time we spend online, especially google, has caused us to lose our minds by “tinkering” with our brains, “reprograming our memory,” and changing the way in which we process information. Carr’s purpose is to contribute to the idea that “Google” along with other online tools, is programing us to be less attentive and to the inhibition of our critical thinking skills. Guided by personal experiences, subjectivity, presumptions, Carr concludes that our reliance on google and other online apparatuses has caused us to become “machinelike,” claiming that the understanding we have of the world and is “mediated” by computers, flattening our intelligence and converting it into artificial intelligence with no value. Carr’s theory is un-logical because it is based on presumptions that overgeneralize the role that online tools like google play on our lives, based on the experiences and opinions of a few. By ignoring the complexities of these tools and the numerous features they have to offer which help enable us to expand our way of thinking and analyzing information, Carr incorrectly assumes that because the amount of information we are gathering and attaining from online apparatuses like google, that we are becoming hollow computer like entities with little to no intelligence.

In Nicholas Carr’s article entitled, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?,” he explains that the up rise of computers, and technology, has taken a toll on the former ability to read and understand what is being read. Suddenly, what was once so simple is now a prolonged, agonizing task which readers like Carr have experienced. The infamous internet has become the basis for information people seek to collect. Personally, I think Carr’s interpretation of the increase in technology is most accurate when referring to the overtake of artificial intelligence, the inability to read small to large amounts of written work, and the obvious change in the way we think as a person.

The emergence and use of computer and internet technologies have greatly revolutionized the world. Everything and every process in the world is attuning to computer and internet technology for effective survival and success. Human beings have succumbed to the greatest effect of the revolution. Initially, human beings conducted their activities and processes manually even when using machines. Today, people largely depend on computerized technologies and automated systems to conduct and run activities and processes. In the article, “Is Google making us stupid?”, Nicholas Carr is showing concern and worry over the way the computer and internet technology have compromised cognitive and reasoning abilities of human beings. The arguments and themes discussed by Nicholas in the article are true and reflect the exact situation in the contemporary world. Carr demonstrates why he believes that the platform that Google offers to speedily access information online is reducing people’s level of concentration and shifts their intelligence. Arguably, the author demonstrates how he believes that Google regularly seizes people’s concentration. That is, internet users can know of something but fail to understand the sources and validity of

According to a media theorist, Marshall McLuhan pointed out that the “internet supplies with the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought.” (Carr). This information given from the internet is useful for our everyday lives but it also comes with a cost of changing the way we think. Carr also states from personal experience that he used to concentrate on reading a book with ease, but once he spent a lot of time on the Internet it changed the way he read. He went from understanding the “narrative or the turns or argument” to losing his concentration around the second or third page all because of the time he spent surfing the internet or just replying to emails. Carr asked the question “is Google making us stupid?” and from what is shown we can say that it might actually. In sum, it has been shown that the media is shaping the process of thought and thus making us lose our concentration and the act of thinking of something

“As of the most recent reported period, the number of internet users worldwide was 3.17 billion, up from 2.94 billion in the previous year” (Statista). The internet has grown to be one of the ultimate sources of information for individuals all around the world. The internet has helped people find information quickly, expand people’s knowledge on a subject, and improve our intelligence. Some people may argue how the internet is making us stupid, but others believe the internet is improving their intelligence. I believe the internet is a useful source of information and is expanding our knowledge of different subjects. The argument of this essay is to prove that the internet is not making us stupid, but it is actually making us smarter. David

A mere two decades ago, finding information meant scouring public libraries for days. Today, it means a few clicks of the mouse, a couple of words into Google, and a press of enter. Since the internet, professional knowledge has evolved from the purview of scholars to becoming easily accessible to the general public. However, in an article for the Atlantic, Nick Carr asked the question “Is Google making us stupid?” and goes on to argue that the internet has led to a diminished capacity for concentration and contemplation in its users (1). While this may not be entirely false, by and large, the internet is a step forward in the pursuit for knowledge and should be embraced and utilized in education.