The Importance Of Google: Deleterious To Our Brains
In his essay Carr explains his reasoning behind why he believes Google and other technologies are deleterious to our brains. Carr says that he is "not thinking the way he used to think" (Carr 731). His brain has become accustomed to taking in information like a computer and "deep reading has become a struggle" (Carr 731). While he does have valid points I only agree with his main point partly. Google has been a godsend, and as Carr said himself has made things easier "Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms if libraries can now be done in minutes" (Carr 732). I have had people from those times say how blessed Generation Z is that we don't have to spend valuable time in dark periodical rooms as much as they did. Now
I love to read, some of the best ideas people have had came from reading. It engages the mind in a way no other media medium can "the kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable"(Carr 743). However, in this fast paced world getting information quicker may be better. Tell me, in a war you logically would want to know your enemy's position sooner rather than later, right? Yes. Sadly, there is a group of people who misuse the Web and Google, not necessarily in an evil way but nevertheless bad. You know, those people whose first reaction to any question asked of them is to grab their phone and Google. Those people who have "stopped reading books altogether" and have trouble "absorbing longish articles" (Carr 733). Several in the group are very intelligent but they let their intelligence erode by using technology solely. The point is Google makes us stupid only when we allow it to. Balance is key to not letting "our own intelligence flatten into artificial intelligence.
I love to read, some of the best ideas people have had came from reading. It engages the mind in a way no other media medium can "the kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable"(Carr 743). However, in this fast paced world getting information quicker may be better. Tell me, in a war you logically would want to know your enemy's position sooner rather than later, right? Yes. Sadly, there is a group of people who misuse the Web and Google, not necessarily in an evil way but nevertheless bad. You know, those people whose first reaction to any question asked of them is to grab their phone and Google. Those people who have "stopped reading books altogether" and have trouble "absorbing longish articles" (Carr 733). Several in the group are very intelligent but they let their intelligence erode by using technology solely. The point is Google makes us stupid only when we allow it to. Balance is key to not letting "our own intelligence flatten into artificial intelligence.