"Is Google Making Us Stupid" by Nicholas Carr

Summary and Response

HAL the computer from the movie Space Odyssey says “Dave, my mind is going.” Carr the author of “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” feels as if his mind is going also. He considers that his mind is just changing.  He starts to realize that he can no longer read lengthy articles without losing interest shortly after beginning. The internet has taken over. We have gone from books to Google and we have begun to scan and surf instead of concentrate and be entertained. The internet has become our information source and our minds have learned how to take information quickly instead of slowly. Carr isn’t the only one who feels this way. His friends share the same experience with their reading troubles. There are some people who have stopped reading all together. The way that people think is changing. Even though we read more than we used to, we are reading in a different way. Over time our thoughts were able to be put onto paper with the type writer and later onto screens for when we are texting. The adult brain is like plastic, we are beginning to take on qualities of technology. Our attention is scattered and our concentration has been diffused. We are still trying to figure out how the internet is reprogramming us.  The media has to change so all of us will stay interested in it. Google is becoming the “perfect search engine” this is exactly what it was planned to be. It “solves problem that have never been solved before.” Our minds are expected to turn into machines.

As a college student I can honestly say, the internet is involved with just about everything I do. It has taken over my life. I hardly ever read long articles by choice. If I have to read one, I usually end up getting bored about three paragraphs into it or just fall asleep. I am one of those people who doesn’t read for person enjoyment. Even though I wish I could put all my interest into a book the internet always gets the best of me. I’d rather be on twitter of facebook, or better yet reading a text message from my friend.  I believe that I use the internet for exactly what it was made for. I let it think for me. I have been raised around always believing that the internet is right. It’s there for me at any moment of the day and answers any question that I have.