3.3 Is Google Making Us Stupid?

In Nicholas Carr's article published in The Atlantic magazine, he discusses how reading online is somehow changing the way his brain thinks. He claims that the internet “shapes[s] the process of thought" and is literally rewiring the brain. This page discusses the basics of Carr’s article – which is in fact the basis of our own argument.

 This rewiring that Carr discusses means that there are new ways to read, and that readers - especially those who grew up with the internet - no longer have any kind of concentration needed for reading longer, printed texts like books. Although many younger people do more reading online, Carr believes that they are not able to retain the key elements for a deep understanding. Young people can simply not pay attention long enough to understand the entire piece. He talks about the "power browse" that most online readers engage in, to avoid reading the entire piece of literature, but rather going for the quick fact grab. He claims that this power browse may be "weakening our capacity for the kind of deep reading" needed for an in-depth understanding.

This article also discusses how the brain adapts to “new intellectual technologies.” The more fast paced and interactive products that hit the market, the more our brains change in order to stay on top of them. It does make sense that in this fast paced society, our brains need to be at the top of their game in order to process all the information they are given and avoid cognitive overload. And Carr insists that media is adapting to these shifts in our brains, as “magazines and newspapers shorten their articles, introduce capsule summaries, and crowd their pages with easy-to-browse info-snippets.” Readers want all information at top speed, in order to get in and get out with what they need.

However, at the end of the discussion, Carr worries for “intellectual laziness” – if information is so readily available at such a speed, then people will not have to think, because they know they can access the information so easily. Our brains will simply be hooked up to the internet, and we will never have to ever think again.

While Carr’s article does seem a bit intimidating, this phenomenon that he is describing may not be far from the truth – but it’s not all bad! Yes, our brains are changing. Yes, our ways of reading are altering. But doesn’t this mean we can achieve bigger and better things?

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You may also be interested in: Advantages of interactive websites

Sources:
Carr, Nicholas. 2008. "Is Google making us stupid? What the internet is doing to our brains." The Atlantic. July-August. link 
Picture from cce.wsu.edu