When hearing Nicholas Carr's question; "is Google making us stupid?" some people may disagree, agree, or are somewhere in between. Personally, I strongly agree with Carr's statement. He is opening up a very relevant topic in today's world. Everyone should ask themselves this question and really go beneath the surface of it and think deeply about this subject, being that it effects us greatly.
For me, the controversy over whether the web has taken over my generation has been on my mind for quite a while. I wonder if we have become too dependent on technology because it is what we are accustomed to. This question also takes me back to when I interviewed my parents and uncle last week. Some things that my dad and uncle mentioned really stuck in my mind and relate to this topic as well. My dad stated that he liked the world better when there wasn't as much technology readily available, because it required people to use more brain power. He liked figuring things out for himself and felt that it increased his knowledge. When I asked my uncle what he thought of the current generation and their technology usage, he mentioned that this generation is computer literate, but not very strong in other areas.
These thoughts worry me because I find myself agreeing with their statements. I feel that since search engines, such as Google, make it so easy for me to find information, I feel that things are too easy. By having everything done for you, it can encourage laziness. A quote from systemdisc.com directly demonstrates this problem
"Though society has based many of its goals upon advances in technology, this may not be such a desired goal. People are becoming less tolerant, much less motivated, and increasingly lazy. People are beginning to expect things to be done quickly and efficiently, and people are becoming too focused on the end result rather than whether ethical and right methods are used to achieve the end result." (systemdisc.com)
I feel that the Internet also can develop a sense of immediacy; people don't really acquire knowledge, or that they are so used to surfing and skimming the web that their way of thinking is rushed. This can definitely be a downfall in other areas, such as reading long articles or books, such as Carr mentions
To conclude, I would definitely agree with Carr. I sometimes wish I could have experience what it was like growing up in an earlier generation, where it required everyone to use their own intelligence; not that of a computer's.
Source:
"Technology Downfalls." System Disc. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. <http://www.systemdisc.com/technology-downfalls>.
Kelsey,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you related back to previous assignments to show your understanding. I completely agree with you when it comes to parents comments making you think about how dependent we are. I had the same reaction. I love your opinion about wishing you could experience growing up in an older generation because I completely feel the same. I wish you would have continued this discussion on living in a earlier generation. Why would you want to live in a earlier generation? What do you think would be different? The same?
I really liked how you related this assignment to the interviews that we did the previous week. I like how you pointed out that you feel everyone is become lazier because Google does all our research for us. In some way I do agree with this statement, but sometimes I feel that we are still using the same amount of brain cells just in a different way. I remember in my interview my father mentioned how he found it difficult to research using the internet. He felt more comfortable going back to the old fashion way for gathering research.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that the internet has created a sense of immediacy in society. We all expect to have certain results within seconds of searching on a search engine. With cell phones and computers things can be accomplished in seconds, which used to take minutes or days. Since we can perform tasks so quickly, we also expect others to do things quickly as well, which can definitely lead to problems.
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