Is Google Making Us Stupid? Yes? No? Maybe?

Wow. This article was something else entirely. Who would have ever thought that Google, a search engine designed to provide us with endless informative information, could actually make us—dare I say—stupid. Ha! It just makes me laugh at how (sorry to put it this way) “dumb” the human race can be. Often times we like to elaborate on the advantages of things versus the disadvantages. And in this case, I am not quite sure which one outweighs the other.

This article was extremely relatable, which is kind of sickening to admit. I myself even notice that overtime, yes, it has become more difficult for me to concentrate on heavy focus-demanding topics. I feel as if I can no longer really indulge myself in a book. I feel as if any article or written passage over a couple paragraphs is too hard to even think about trying to read it. It is sad to see what technology has done to us. We have become more dependent on our gadgets, and less involved in our own very life flashing before our eyes. Not to mention even that our thinking process has be totally altered as well.

Author Nicholas Carr brings up a great point: what exactly is the internet doing to our brains? Does anyone know? Will anyone know? Will we eventually turn into “pancake people,” as he put it, or will we all become super-genius humans with brain capacities similar to that of a computer? It’s rather scary to think about in either direction. So perhaps only time will tell as it always does, but in the meantime maybe there is a way we can rewire the way our brain has been altered by our dear friend, the Net. Maybe we can overcome this so called tragedy on our brain that the internet is responsible for. The internet has changed the way we think completely, but I think there is a way to claim back our own lost intelligence. I think there is a way that we can re-train our brain to once again think on its own.

First things first, we need to limit the time that we are exposed to the internet—even technology. Take a few hours every day to just…be. Next, we need to start reading again. Pick out a few books and try to spend time focusing and concentration on what you are reading. Remember to choose books that are of interest to you; that way they will be much easier to read, and you will find them more enjoyable. And lastly, begin to think on your own. Form opinions. Develop ideas. Read. Write. Indulge your mind in creative processes. Think for yourself. We have been doing it for many, many years before the internet even existed, so why can’t we learn to do it again?  

So say goodbye to the brain that the internet has provided us, and say hello to your very own brain. For it is much smarter, wiser, and accurate than any other device on this planet—including our dear friend, the Net.