The article “Is Google making us stupid?” by Nicolas Carr talks about the adverse effects of the Net in man’s way of thinking. This issue is something that’s been under discussion and has been a subject of studies by many scientists and scholars alike. Studies about its effects of man’s cognitive skills is also under way. The amount of interest that the Net has aroused in man shows that it has become an influential factor in man’s life, and with man’s continuous reliance on using it for almost every aspect of his life only goes to show that it will remain to be so. And why not? The Net has been very useful so far, in so many, if not all, aspects of man’s life. It provides direction and reference in finding a certain place that man has never been to before, an enormous amount of data that is useful in doing researches and other studies, an opportunity to find people that one has not been in contact with for so many years, to communicate with those who are in far away places, or to meet new people and establish new relationships. These are only some the benefits that the Net provides people. However, considering the numerous conveniences that one can get through using one medium, namely the Net, is it possible that numerous negative consequences could also arise, not only as a result of too much dependence, but other repercussions, both identified and those which are still beneath the surface? Carr’s article effectively describes some of these effects, discussing on point how the Net covertly changes one’s way of thinking.
Carr points out how, after using the Net for years, his ability to focus has been reduced considerably (2008). Even without studies to confirm it, Net users would unanimously agree that surfing the Net takes a considerable amount of one’s time, not because of searching what one needs to find, but because the hyperlinks and advertisements present on the pages encouraging the user to check them. Instead of simply doing the one thing that the user has set out to do, s/he finds himself spending longer time than necessary online, doing nonessential things such as “foraging in the Weband writing e-mails, scanning headlines and blogposts, watching videos and listening to podcasts, or just tripping from link to link to link” (Carr 2) . As a result, the user loses focus, not only in the sense of time, but also in the ability to retain what s/he has read or learned from the Net. Although it is not needed, the user ends up clicking on links and headlines to read more, thereby gaining more information, which then results to “information overload” (as cited in Carr 10).
Despite the longer reading hours that man does online, what is not noticed is that man mostly reads shorter versions of everything. Everything is in summarized form, making it easier for the user to understand and grasp the meaning of almost everything in the shortest possible time. Although this may be considered beneficial, in the sense that less time is consumed in learning numerous information, what is lost is more important than what is gained. For one, it takes away man’s ability to sift through all the information and decide for one’s self what is important and what is not. As such, man is unable to exercise his ability to process information because there is nothing to process anymore. Man, then, is also robbed of the ability to link what s/he has read to previous information or knowledge that s/he has already gained, a crucial process that would make learning more meaningful and lasting. These negative consequences, as compared to the benefit of learning in a shorter period of time, which, in essence can be called shallow learning, are detrimental to one’s learning process which would eventually take a toll on one’s intellect and ability, as it presents “new weaknesses in higher-order cognitive processes which includes abstract vocabulary, mindfulness, reflection, inductive problem solving, critical thinking, and imagination” (as cited in Carr 13), all of which man exercises and learns when reading printed texts. As a result, the essence of reading is lost and man becomes weaker in terms of learning.
Another negative consequence of the Net is that man lacks the ability to do research and find meaningful materials from which s/he could learn more. Everything is already served in a “hot platter,” and the user does not have to do any thinking to determine whether one source is useful or not. One merely has to press on links in order to find what he needs and the art of researching is lost.
In addition to losing the ability to learn meaningfully, the user is also taught of getting used to the habit of reading shorter materials while losing interest and focus on reading longer texts. Although it has yet to proven that man’s cognitive skill is also affected, scholars who have conducted a research by looking at the online activities of users found that most of them would just usually skim and not go back to the same pages they have saved or have visited before (Carr 3). This shows that Net users develop a habit of superficial reading, or that ability to just skim through texts without even perusing at the possible learning or information that could be gained from it. This also reinforces the idea that although man spends considerable time online, meaningful reading or learning is not achieved, in such that man rarely focuses on one reading material and as a result, is unable to retain whatever little information s/he has gained. In addition, it also adds to the argument that man is unable to focus on one thing when using the Net.
While a user continues to jump from one page to another while online, bits of information about him/her is retained in the Net. These are what computer engineers and software coders use to create the “distractions” that make the users lose focus when online. Advertisements abound the pages that users visit, thereby distracting the users and propelling them to click more links and visit more pages. With every page that a user visit, s/he is taken to more other pages the longer he s/he spends longer time online. As a result, the user loses track of time and is distracted from his/her original purpose of going online. In essence, users are being stalked and are then maneuvered to do things that they did not set out to do when they decided to use the Net. This idea highlights Carr’s feeling of having someone or something “tinkering with his brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprograming the memory” (2008). His obseration couldn’t be more true, as prolonged use of the Net essentially takes control of one’s mind, time, the ability to learn and control himself, and the ability to learn meaningful things and retain them for a longer period of time.
Although numerous benefits can be gained from the Net, it is undeniable that there are also many negative consequences that come from it. Just as Socrates has predicted about the development of writing, that people would eventually “come to rely on the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they used to carry inside their heads,” man has also been “filled with the conceit of wisdom instead of real wisdom” (Carr 9). Perhaps it just right that man become less accepting of more technology and be more cautious about how much dependence and attachment is being developed towards them. Man would also do well to remember that there is always two sides to a coin, that although there are several benefits to gain from the Net, there are also numerous disadvantages that are gained.
Work Cited
Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google making us stupid?: What the Internet is doing to our brain.” The
Atlantic. July-August 2008. Web. 26 March 2016.
