This essay was a real eye opener because it brought forth the negative effects that the internet can cause. We as humans of the modern age have been a costumed to the web and internet as a daily part of our lives. I think that after reading the essay by Nicholas Carr, the internet could have a negative affect on our brains and change the way we learn.
First, Carr suggests that staying focused longer is being impaired by the action of web browsing constantly. The web is extremely fast moving and flashy which is a concern to the brain stimulation caused on people's brains. There is no doubt that the web allows us to achieve facts and knowledge one hundred times faster. What we could achieve in a month 20 years ago, we can learn in a single day.
Another point that Carr displayed was the use of the "skip and scan" method becoming more popular with the use of the internet. I am definitely a skipper and scanner because that is what is efficient. We are expected to read so many pages online or in a textbook but within those few hundred pages, there is a smaller, more important amount of information that we actually need to learn to be successful. Carr also called this method "power browsing."
I agree that the internet is changing our lives drastically, but I don't believe that it is making us stupid. The internet is only helping our society become more advanced and allowing us to research and explore areas that otherwise would be left untouched.
Hi Jackson, I echo your thoughts that Google, and the Internet in general, is making our lives easier by extending our capabilities. Long gone are the days of rigorous research. Google gives us the ability to type a single word into a search bar, and have access to thousands of interpretations. I do agree with Carr that this can cause an "artificial intelligence." By this Carr believes that we have become reliant on other people's experiences and visions, rather than coming up with our own conclusions. Google has made us lazy, not stupid. See you next week!
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