Summary Of Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

In his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?,” Nicholas Carr expresses his view on technology. He touches on ideas about how technology has evolved and how it changes how humans view the world. He makes the points that technology is widely accessible and frequently used. Carr shows how technology changed the style of earlier writers’ pieces. Carr believes that how the earlier writers wrote contributed to the style of their works. His most important point, in my opinion, is his claim that technology alters the way our brains function. Technology is a fantastic tool but if used incorrectly, could lead to health problems, reliance, or alterations to brain functions. The first point Carr presents is that technology can provide health

He provides his own personal experience in his article when he says, “Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do” (Carr 572). Carr claims that his wrongful usage of technology has rendered him incapable of focusing on one certain task. This deficit is very common due to the ongoing use of technology in society. I agree with this claim because as a constant user of technology, I sometimes have a hard time keeping still. However, focus is not the only health aspect that is affected by technology. In an article published in the New York Times titled, "Do You Have Any Bad Health Habits?; Student Opinion," it mentions headphones causing a loss of hearing. In the article, it says, “...half of 30 sets of

For an expert opinion on this topic, Carr quotes Maryanne Wolf, a developmental psychologist at Tufts University. While analyzing her points, Carr explains, “Wolf worries that the style of reading promoted by the Net, a style that puts ‘efficiency’ and ‘immediacy’ above all else, may be weakening our capacity for the kind of deep reading…” (Carr 575). Carr points out that technology changes people’s minds to which they seek out finite answers to questions rather than reading between the lines and developing their own opinions. Carr also compares the human brain to a computer by the fact that both systems strive to be quick with as few errors as possible. Many people in the world function this way because “efficiency” is highly valued by the majority of the population. I find this point very believable because when I seek out an answer on the web, I don’t usually read into it because technology has changed my brain to think that the first answer is the most reliable. This way of thinking has become more apparent as the use of technology increases so the process of deep reading and deep thinking must be reacquired by many. When technology is misused and relied upon too heavily, it has the power to change how the human brain functions to imitate that of a computer