The
“Information Overload” podcast supports the “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
article, showing that our society has become excessively reliant upon
technology. The podcast describes that for just about everything, we can find
video representations and online explanations; whereas, in the past, someone
would have shown us how to do something or we could have found the answers to
life’s ponderings in libraries full of books.
From
here, we must wonder how accurate our findings from the Internet actually are.
Do we know from where exactly our online resources come, and are they accurate
depictions of fact? Using Google as an academic or educated source-finder is
fine; but, as depicted in the cartoon below, we must be sure that everyone is
aware of finding the differences between true and false.
The
initial intent of Google was to be a sort of online host of information, acting
as an Internet library. It has since gone down quite a different path,
including information and sources of all sorts, many of which are wishy-washy
in their reliability.
In
the podcast, historian Lisa Jardine solidified my perception that Google is, in
fact, making us stupid. We’ve given up on trying
to find accurate information that will inform us and increase our knowledge
base. Rather, we pick out one or two bits of “news” and automatically assume it
to be fact, rather than searching for deeper proof that the source is exactly
what is proclaims to be.
I’m
not saying the Internet consists of a bunch of useless information. I’m simply
playing the Devil’s advocate and suggesting that we take a deeper look into each
tidbit of data we pull from the worldwide web.
Source:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx498kWIiEt0lNffvCzhChNvwgyYBnol_8pKL3Ixhe1dx2owaN3bMFNrxJkmHAz6sOT0iqRAMXG30jpuEoT9h_zHqiTbIQPWTyT5Cvq67MwxbFCS4C4ppym9uKnSKH3RrH16xk4GkJB_Q/s1600/061013_internet_citing1.gif
I really liked you post especally because you put a comic in it. I feel that makes it much more interesting than others are. I also agree when you talk about how we need to read deeper in to the text than the majority of our soceity does. Just skimming does not suffice especally if your trying to do accidemic work.
ReplyDeleteI like the points you made in your post. I do feel like people need to pay more attention to the source in which they gather their information because it may not be reliable. Anyone can post anything on the Internet, so how do we know if it is true or not? I think it is important to check the information you gather with multiple scholarly sources before telling everyone that it is fact.
ReplyDeleteI actually think the Information overload piece was saying that there is no control over the information we obtain due to its accessibility, I do think it made points against Carr in saying that instead of fighting this growth or need for more information, we learn to better REMEMBER the meanings and causes for things commonly forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI like your perspective of looking at the actual information available online as oppossed to the fact that it is so available. Your post made me realize that it is just as easy to put information out there as it is to collect it. I am more of a reader on the internet than a writer so I was not looking at it from this perspective. I also liked how you included a cartoon.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all,I have to say, I love the cartoon. Also, I think you looked at this issue from an interesting perspective. I am usually just reading stuff off the internet but I never think how easy it is to put stuff on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that more than a few times I've embarrassed myself (and others I know have embarrassed themselves) by repeating an actually false "fact" learned from an un-trustworthy source. For sure, the fast comprehension is the priority over the deep comprehension in terms of the net, but is it really all that bad? Those who want to know the whole truth will do the digging, and those who just want a simple explanation most likely wouldn't have searched through a book to find any explanation. It may inform some people incorrectly, but in my opinion it's better that these people present their incorrectness so the informed can correct them.
ReplyDelete