Summary: Is Google Making USupid?
Stop mindless surfing the internet, and get some stuffs done. Something my mother said all the time. Today, internet has become a huge part of our daily life, we gather information, socialize with our friends and even shop online. The internet has definitely become an essential part of our daily life.
Many people argue that internet is making us smarter, due to the fact that it has given us an easier access to look for information on any topics within seconds, however the internet is filled with unreliable sources and information. Especially on certain websites, like Wikipedia which allows everyone to edit it, which might cause false information to spread around. Another aspect is that internet has made instantaneous communication worldwide a common thing, allowing intercultural experience that was once impossible to succeed. However, social media has created huge distraction to teenagers who often browse through their Facebook, twitter accounts in class and elsewhere. As a matter of fact, internet is making us less attentive and intelligent, as people’s ability to read and write aggravate, moreover, we are constantly distracted by the tremendous amounts of information on the internet, which leads to loss of concentration and memory.
In the past few decades, the number …show more content…
of internet users have been steadily increasing, internet has made information way easier to find, thus people read more than they do in the 70s and 80s, however researches had shown that as we read more information online, we become less attentive. According to a forum “how digital technology is changing our reading brain,” (Rahmil). “numerous studies have shown that the typical reader is far less attentive when reading information online. Only 28% of words on a web page are deciphered, while reading speed (nearly 500 words a minute) is paradoxically faster than the average, when it should be slower, leading to the conclusion that the typical reader is not actually reading the web-page, but skimming it quickly.” This research confirms that we are less attentive when it comes to reading information online, the author acknowledges the fact that online users tend to skim through online information, comparing to reading an actual book, we absorb less information, and by doing that on a long term basis, we will eventually become less attentive and less intelligent. In addition, studies shown that when you read an actual book you comprehend more. According to a study in the Journal of Digital Information, “those who read documents with hypertext didn’t retain as much information as those who read text without links.” This study points out that reading with hypertext is way less effective comparing to reading a book, and the reason behind that is when we read a book we store the information in our long-term memory, whereas when we read information online, our brains don’t absorb the information in a rich and meaningful way. Eventually, we lost our knowledge on that specific subject, what Nicholas Carr described as “mindless consumers of data.”
Another aspect is that the internet is making us less attentive and in general less intelligent, because it gives us too much distraction.
As Carr is point out in the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Carr said “My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages.” This quotation implies that long time internet users tend to loss concentration, and felt difficult to stay focus. Carr also talks about how his friends are facing similar experiences, the more they use internet, the harder it becomes to stay
focus.
On the other hand, some people argue that internet is not making us dumber, it’s the users who mainly used internet for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, etc., are becoming dumber. It’s relative to how you use the internet, if you read, research, discuss or create contents that enable others to learn, it would be a totally a different story. This point of view makes sense because if you utilize the use of internet, it could actually be very beneficial to you. However, most people are not doing it, statistics had shown that most people use internet for social media, online videos and online games. In addition, some people claim that internet has improved reading as study co-author Janna Anderson, (director of the imagining and internet center) point out (from a online survey of 895 web users and experts) “Three out of four expert said our use of the internet enhances and augment human intelligence, and two thirds said use of the internet has improved reading, writing and the rendering of knowledge.” This simple statement that internet enhances intelligent and that it improves reading and writing skill is absurd. The Internet has indeed changed and improved the way we read and think. You can now Google for facts and figures on any topics within seconds. But the richness of human intelligence is predicated on our long-term memory. The internet has become increasingly important to us in our everyday lives. It does create an easier access to information, socializing, and shopping, however the increasing use of internet is destroying our intelligence and by reading constantly on the Internet, we disperse our minds, lessen our focus, and diminish our talent.
Many people argue that internet is making us smarter, due to the fact that it has given us an easier access to look for information on any topics within seconds, however the internet is filled with unreliable sources and information. Especially on certain websites, like Wikipedia which allows everyone to edit it, which might cause false information to spread around. Another aspect is that internet has made instantaneous communication worldwide a common thing, allowing intercultural experience that was once impossible to succeed. However, social media has created huge distraction to teenagers who often browse through their Facebook, twitter accounts in class and elsewhere. As a matter of fact, internet is making us less attentive and intelligent, as people’s ability to read and write aggravate, moreover, we are constantly distracted by the tremendous amounts of information on the internet, which leads to loss of concentration and memory.
In the past few decades, the number …show more content…
of internet users have been steadily increasing, internet has made information way easier to find, thus people read more than they do in the 70s and 80s, however researches had shown that as we read more information online, we become less attentive. According to a forum “how digital technology is changing our reading brain,” (Rahmil). “numerous studies have shown that the typical reader is far less attentive when reading information online. Only 28% of words on a web page are deciphered, while reading speed (nearly 500 words a minute) is paradoxically faster than the average, when it should be slower, leading to the conclusion that the typical reader is not actually reading the web-page, but skimming it quickly.” This research confirms that we are less attentive when it comes to reading information online, the author acknowledges the fact that online users tend to skim through online information, comparing to reading an actual book, we absorb less information, and by doing that on a long term basis, we will eventually become less attentive and less intelligent. In addition, studies shown that when you read an actual book you comprehend more. According to a study in the Journal of Digital Information, “those who read documents with hypertext didn’t retain as much information as those who read text without links.” This study points out that reading with hypertext is way less effective comparing to reading a book, and the reason behind that is when we read a book we store the information in our long-term memory, whereas when we read information online, our brains don’t absorb the information in a rich and meaningful way. Eventually, we lost our knowledge on that specific subject, what Nicholas Carr described as “mindless consumers of data.”
Another aspect is that the internet is making us less attentive and in general less intelligent, because it gives us too much distraction.
As Carr is point out in the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Carr said “My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages.” This quotation implies that long time internet users tend to loss concentration, and felt difficult to stay focus. Carr also talks about how his friends are facing similar experiences, the more they use internet, the harder it becomes to stay
focus.
On the other hand, some people argue that internet is not making us dumber, it’s the users who mainly used internet for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, etc., are becoming dumber. It’s relative to how you use the internet, if you read, research, discuss or create contents that enable others to learn, it would be a totally a different story. This point of view makes sense because if you utilize the use of internet, it could actually be very beneficial to you. However, most people are not doing it, statistics had shown that most people use internet for social media, online videos and online games. In addition, some people claim that internet has improved reading as study co-author Janna Anderson, (director of the imagining and internet center) point out (from a online survey of 895 web users and experts) “Three out of four expert said our use of the internet enhances and augment human intelligence, and two thirds said use of the internet has improved reading, writing and the rendering of knowledge.” This simple statement that internet enhances intelligent and that it improves reading and writing skill is absurd. The Internet has indeed changed and improved the way we read and think. You can now Google for facts and figures on any topics within seconds. But the richness of human intelligence is predicated on our long-term memory. The internet has become increasingly important to us in our everyday lives. It does create an easier access to information, socializing, and shopping, however the increasing use of internet is destroying our intelligence and by reading constantly on the Internet, we disperse our minds, lessen our focus, and diminish our talent.