“Is Google Making Us Stupid?”: the Impact of the Internet on Our Lives

“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, is an article that explains the different ways the internet has affected our daily social lives. In “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” summary and response essay I will give the review of this article and will share some personal thoughts about the topic. 

The usage of social media and the rest of the internet has interwoven with our lives in which we’ve become accustomed and dependent of it. The author, Nicholas Carr, not only explains the noticeable ways the internet has impacted us, but as well as the unnoticeable minor changes. He shows how this technological innovation has not only affected his personal life, but as well as the lives of other educators, professionals, and overall people in general. No matter who you are, you’re most likely someone who has been affected greatly by the fast-running computer programs. Our way of living has changed greatly.

Our lives continue to change as more and more technological advancements are introduced and made accessible. We change as individual people. Our way of thinking, learning, living, etc. has been altered by our dependency on technology. As we continue to improve technologically, new alteration our made to our lives and we become more vulnerable and in need of it. Have we really changed so much because of technology?

We spend a lot of time on our devices. Today, our devices are capable of entertaining us, buyings things, being a personal assistant, fixing our lives, etc. The possibilities are endless. We have technology that can connect us in an instant with anyone across the globe. We can be influencers and start a movement that can inspire others to fight for what they want. It is even possible to get paid for posting online for entertainment purposes creating a whole variety of careers that weren’t possible years ago. Whether you’re just typing an essay, searching for music, or even watching a video, it has impacted your life because of technology. It has become a routine for us enlarging our dependency on our devices. Some can even say the internet has become our life.

Technology has opened up an unlimited amount of knowledge that is accessible in a matter of minutes. This has changed the way we have learned in a sense of how quickly it is to learn something new today. In the article, Nicholas Carr states, “ Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes. A few Google searches, some quick clicks on hyperlinks, and I’ve got the telltale fact or pithy quote I was after.” Online, it is possible to learn something completely new that can help in various of ways in a matter of seconds. Some people depend on the internet for their jobs and hobbies. An author can use an idea for a book and further express the idea by implementing knowledge found on the internet. Journalists today, can find evidence and stories that can be put into their work and can even publish it themselves online. People don’t even need an excuse to learn as we learn from every article we read, video we watch, and research we do. We don’t need to strain ourselves to consume knowledge unlike before the internet when people would have to spend hours searching for a simple explanation.

Our mental capacity has changed because of technology. Carr explains in his article, “ My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell— but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think.” In this quote, Carr is explaining that over the few years, he has felt as if his neural circuitry has been changing due to the availability of technology. The numerous attainable information has been changing the way we process information. The speed of the information we learn has sped up faster and continues to quicken because of how easy it is to get the information we need. Some can say we don’t even use our brains as much to find things. We just type in what we want to know, read a few links and that’s it. Before, it took hours of research and understanding to learn. There was more dedication to finding the facts. We began to start seeking convenience

To sum up, we have completely changed ourselves to depend more on technology because of how convenient it is for us. We have lost much of our ability to implement technology into our daily lives. We use technology for entertainment, learning, work, communication, etc. Technology has changed our entire lives. We’ve made it a part of our routine that we now need and can’t let go of. It has opened a great deal of information whether it is a recipe, a makeup tutorial, learning about animals, or medical advancements. It changed the way we think because of both the information we ingest and the dependency we have on it. It reminds us of things we need to know or teaches us new things whether it is someone’s birthday or how to do CPR to save someone’s life. Technology influences us on every aspect of our lives. Our devices and technology have become a part of us.

Work Cited

• Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” 50 Essays,by Samuel Cohen, 5th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017. 87-97. Print.