This essay slightly confused me at times. At one moment Nicholas Carr would be saying we are being manipulated, and a paragraph later he would state that we the internet helps people be more efficient. I do not agree with the fact that the internet is making us stupid. I do see some of the downfalls, but we invented it in the first place. "Never has a communications system played so many roles in our lives--or exerted such broad influence over our thoughts-- as the Internet does today" stated Carr. This statement tells us that the Internet has influenced our lives in many ways-- positive as well. It is safe to say that we would not be living in the world we are today without the Internet.
One point Carr referred to numerous times in this essay is how distracted people are now. I believe that distracted and stupid are very different. People lose focus for all different reasons, not just the Internet. Lives are much more busy and stressful now than they used to be, so when people try to sit down and relax or read it may be harder to slow the brain and read a book. "People have become so machine like that the most human character turns out to be a machine" writes Carr. If humans could provide as much information as the Internet does that would be brilliant. I do not see why people would complain if we were as smart as Google. I would love to be that genius!
"To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" is Google's mission statement. Their company gathers information from a plethora of websites and spits it back at you in an instant. Google "understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want". If that doesn't sound useful then I am not sure what is. Before search engines like Google, people would have to search through books to find pieces of information. Now at the click of a button, all of the same information is accessible. The Internet is a great resource that has improve the efficiency of our lives; I do not believe that it is making us stupid.
Kristin, you were absolutely spot on when you stated that "distracted and stupid are very different." You definitely put my thoughts into words. I would also agree to your comment, "The Internet is a great resource that has improved the efficiency of our lives..." Maybe Carr believes that is making us stupid or less able, but you and I sure don't!
ReplyDeleteKristin, I like how you pointed out that people have a hard time focusing for many reasons other than just the internet. While the internet has become an increasingly integrated part of our lives, everything else these days seems to be getting more and more complicated. It seems like we are constantly moving around in fast forward, and when we try to slow down we fall way behind. Great blog and see you in a week!
ReplyDeleteHey Kristin!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the "Internet has influenced our lives in many ways-- positive as well." The internet, in a way, actually makes us smarter! Think about it. We all have searched something. How did you know where to look? We have to know what we are looking for to find the right information. When you said "distracted" and "stupid" were two different things, I totally agree. I didn't even think of us as distracted. Great point!
Hey Kristin! I totally agree when you said "I believe distracted and stupid are very different." I think Carr confuses those a lot during his article. Also he didn't take into account that people can become distracted for many different reasons other than that. I like how you made that connection. See you in school!
ReplyDeleteYou made some great points Kristin. I enjoyed how you argued how the internet and Google are a positive thing in the first paragraph. Then you ended strongly when you wrote, "It is safe to say that we would not be living in the world we are today without the Internet." I 100% agree with that statement. In the second paragraph you also made a terrific point when you said, " I believe that distracted and stupid are very different." These are two very things entirely. Carr does get a little caught up in this fact, as he seemingly uses the two somewhat interchangeably.
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