My Thoughts on "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr

Link to Literature Piece: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Hasn’t everyone conducted a Google search before? Author Nicholas Carr dives deeper into our reliance on Google in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Throughout the piece, Carr explores the negative impact that dependency on sites like Google has had on our mental habits. As experts have previously described the brain as “malleable,” Carr argues that technology has begun to change the way we think and suggests that we may ultimately become more machine-like. Although Carr's position contains quality arguments such as the necessity to reread and focus more when reading due to distractions caused by Google and other sites, there are several key underlying flaws with his logic such as the notion that an increased time spent on websites takes away the ability to read.

Though I cannot fully agree with all of Carr’s positions, being more distracted and needing to focus longer on a piece of literature, because of Google, is relatable and well-thought-through. For example, the author discusses his own experiences when it comes to Google’s effect on reading: “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski. I’m not the only one” (Carr 2). Here, the author describes a profoundly pertinent situation that many users of technology face. The wealth of information technology has provided us has encouraged skimming behaviors rather than a deep analysis of these valuable resources, which has impaired important skills. This is experienced by most students who take history classes, including me. Since children have grown up with technology that provides information to the users faster than a snap of a finger, it is truly an arduous task to engross yourself in a convoluted textbook, comprehend it, and do well on a test without spending a large portion of time rereading the material. Moreover, the author demonstrates the prevalence of this issue by explaining that “[w]hen I mention my troubles with reading to friends and acquaintances --- literary types, most of them-- many say they’re having similar experiences. The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing” (2). Here, Carr makes a salient point to which I can personally attest. Not only has it become strenuous for me to read for a prolonged period of time, but after half an hour of reading, I start to lose focus and drift away thinking about something else. In addition, my friends share this same difficulty and, subsequently, prefer quick reads such as articles to 500-page books. Another argument Carr raises is the massive dependency we have on the Internet: “Never has a communication system played so many roles in our lives-- or exerted such broad influence over our thoughts-- as the internet does today” (Carr 4). Again, Carr makes a valid argument that helps us reflect on the immense role the Internet plays in our lives. For instance, when I don't know the answer to a certain question, my immediate instinct is to look to Google for help. Getting information fed to us without effort is a lazy habit that many have become accustomed to, which should prompt us to rethink our use of Google and consciously change our long-held habits.

On the other hand, Carr dramatizes the effect of Google and the Internet to an extent in which it is simply unrelatable and doesn’t make sense. For example, the author cites the case of Bruce Friedman: “Bruce Friedman, who blogs regularly about the use of computers in medicine, also has described how the internet has altered his mental habits. ‘I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print’” (Carr 2). People use their phones every day, yet there isn’t an outpouring of people who have lost their ability to read. Even though the author attempts to build his argument through this specific case in which someone couldn’t read because of constant exposure to the Internet, this issue can’t be globally applied. Personally, I have not lost the ability to pick up a book, read it, engage in it, and enjoy it. In actuality, I look forward to reading books and taking a deep dive into the characters to analyze their specific details. Furthermore, all around the world, students still enjoy reading the books that are assigned by their teachers, in spite of the average seven to eight hours they spend on their phones. In fact, last year, my school read three different books over the course of the year as a part of the 10th-grade literature curriculum. Not only did we read these books, but we studied and analyzed them thoroughly to the point at which we were able to match a character to a quote in the book. This clearly indicates that this current generation, one that was exposed to electronic devices and Google from a young age, still reads and comprehends books despite Carr’s suggestion otherwise. Another example of completely nonsensical extrapolation is when the author states, “Scott Karp, who writes a blog about online media, recently confessed that he has stopped reading books altogether... ‘What happened?’ He speculates on the answer: ‘What if I do all my reading on the web not so much because the way I read has changed… but the way I think has changed?’” (2). Although an alteration in behavior from constant exposure to the Internet and electronic devices is sometimes true, it simply isn’t this severe in most cases. Therefore, I am inclined to avoid taking wholehearted support of his position.

Google is undoubtedly changing the way we think and our increased dependency on the platform is a cause for concern. Without a doubt, the author is correct that Google is a substantial distraction and has made it strenuous for people to read and concentrate for a long period of time, but taking it to the extent that interaction with Google prevents the ability to read, simply isn’t true. Because of this dynamic between well-thought-out and exaggerated points, I only partially agree with Carr’s argument. Moving forward, it would be sage advice to limit dependency on the Internet and partake in activities that promote deeper-thinking. The brain is similar to a muscle; without exercise, it atrophies. We need to ensure a certain type of stimulation (i.e. exercise) to maintain its peak performance and prevent it from wasting away.