Is Fast Paced Technology Pampering Us?

In the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr, Carr is comparing how people receive their information today compared to the past. Today, people rely on Google and other search engines to research specific things. People rely on these search engines because it is fast and can lead to different kinds of information. In the past people would look into books to find their information. If someone was to do that today they would become bored and uninterested. Carr explained how adult brains are like plastic, it can change its functions and can adapt to new changes. In this case the brain for most people have adapted to new technology that is fast paced, and less information.

Carr tries to argue that because the internet is fast paced and people rely on it so much it is beginning to change the way we think. We prefer fast paced searches, multiple selections, and being able to scan through articles instead of reading in depth and thoughtfully. He talks about how the Printing Press was the start of a new revolution because it was a new outlet for people to read worldwide. But today technology has taken us to a new level, and to a new revolution.

In another article I had found "Why the Google Generation Isn't as Smart as it Thinks" by Bryan Appleyard, he is agreeing with Carr in the fact that our generation today relies on technology so much that we forget about books. He believes because we are relying on technology we are beginning to miss out on other things such as reading a book. He also brings up the fact that we become distracted with our latest technology. Instead of reading a book we become distracted with technology.

Personally myself I look on Google all the time when I want to find something. It gives me multiple articles, in a fast amount of time. Who wouldn't want information to show up on their computer fast? Reading books today can be helpful but very time consuming at the same time. Going to the library can be overwhelming because there are so many books, and when you want to find one topic you have to go through many books who may only touch on that topic in one little segment or sometimes one chapter. Even though Carr is trying to argue and say that Google is making us stupid, I feel that Google and other search engines are helpful. I found out more information through Google or other websites online compared to books. Technology may be coming fast paced and everyone seems to rely on it, it is how we created our world. We created it to be fast paced and we created it to a point where things that use to take a lot of time, now is faster and less time consuming. Google is not necessarily making us stupid, it is making us more efficient and to create more time for other things considering that our world is fast paced and we always have many things we have to do in one day.

Works Cited:
Appleyard, Bryan. "Why The Google Generation Isn't as Smart as it Think." Times Online. 2008. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4362950.ece

Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The Atlantic. 2007. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google