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  • Essay / Nicolas Carr's article analysis is Google Making Us Stupid

    Nicolas Carr's Is Google Making Us Stupid, a 2008 article, discusses the effects of technology on cognitive exercises, such as the ability to attention, critical thinking and knowledge acquisition. And how the use of technology and the Internet is fundamentally changing the way we process and understand knowledge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay The article begins with Carr recounting a scene from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the dismantling Hal the supercomputer, claiming to feel his mind fading. The insinuation of such a scene illustrates the parallel that Carr draws between Hal's mind and that of the human; stating at the end of his article: "...people have become so machine-like that the most human character turns out to be a machine...it is our own intelligence flattening into artificial intelligence." » The Internet provides access to a range of resources and information. , however, the more time we spend online, the more difficult it is to concentrate on longer text. Feeling like someone has reprogrammed his brain, Carr is left with symptoms of diminished critical thinking and a reduced attention span. Our acquired intelligence transaction for the superficiality of the Internet as "Net-promoted reading...places 'efficiency' and 'immediacy' above all else", leads us to believe that Google has the capacity to respond to all our questions, there is no effort or We need to research ourselves, which “weakens our capacity for close reading,” supports critical thinking. Carr analyzes the work of Maryanne Wolf, who explores theories regarding the role of technology in learning to write new languages; he supports the innate ability of speech that comes from the brain, but disputes that reading is taught and conscious. In Wolf's work, he indicates that neurons in the brain begin to adapt to the environment, requiring them to grow into new troubled areas. Carr also refers to the alleged change in style of Nietzsche's writing from his typewriter, introducing the idea of ​​how the human brain conforms to the very quality it is exposed to, reflecting patterns and functions, like that of Nietzsche, “our writing equipment participates in the formation of our thoughts”, he concludes “…we inevitably begin to adopt the qualities of these technologies.” Carr interprets the Internet as another environment to which the brain will eventually adapt. Because the Internet is one of the most ubiquitous and life-changing technologies in our world, changes in the mind are evident, but Carr also argues about changes in human behavior. The Net supports cognitive distractions with a multitude of pop-ups and advertisements, as well as easy-to-access hyperlinks and intriguing headlines. However, hyperlinks are not the only culprit, we crave knowledge and the Internet is there to showcase our weaknesses. Our malleable brains are an advantage, but Carr paves the way for disadvantages. The rapid accessibility of the Internet allows us to move from one site to another without fully understanding the information. The experiences we have shape our brain and affect it in one way or another. The conclusion of the article presents the skeptical ideas that people have held throughout history, such as that of Socrates who feared the transition from writing to print. The inevitable development of technology.