The impact of technological progress on people’s consciousness and thinking capacity has always been under study in current research. With the rapid expansion of the Internet in the recent two to three decades, the social landscape has transformed significantly due to increased reliance on digital communication, remote work, and assistive technologies that help in everyday activities. Among the most prominent opinion pieces on the impact of the Internet is Nicholas G. Carr’s essay for The Atlantic named “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The author’s key argument is that the Internet may harm human cognition and diminish the capacity for contemplation and comprehension. This article is an excellent explanation of how the Internet might change people; although Carr criticizes Google, the desire to explore the general cognitive impact of the World Wide Web on modern society provokes positive attitudes among readers.
The author opens the essay by discussing having recent issues concentrating on reading lengthy texts, such as books and articles that he could previously read effortlessly. He suggests that the increasing reliance on the Internet, which is full of varied and condensed content, influences a person’s reading habits and makes engagement with text more challenging (Carr). Carr provides the example of the study from University College London that examined the reading habits of students, showing that new types of reading emerged. Specifically, people reading texts on websites showed a “form of skimming activity,” jumping from one source to another, which points to the lack of focus on one piece of information and the atomization of attention (Carr). Therefore, as digital media are becoming more diverse, the ability to interpret text and form substantial mental connections with the text and read deeply without distractions.
The author draws from historical examples to make arguments about the modern changes in human cognition. For instance, Carr talks about how the writing style of a famous philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, changed as a result of his using the typewriter after the invention of the device (Selinger). The example is supportive of neuroplasticity, a scientific theory stating that neural circuits can be reshaped through the influence of environmental factors (Carr). Another example is the clock, which, although a simple device, played a significant role in regulating and improving human perception and behavior. Thus, as digital media and the Internet allowed for simplifying processes through shortcuts, the productivity of people in their cognitive functioning inevitably declined. This argument suggests that expanding digitalization can make people more “stupid”; however, such a label may not be appropriate due to its general negative connotations. Technologies, including the Internet, have facilitated substituting human labor for system work, pushing progress further.
When exploring the topic of Google specifically, the author comments that the company set a mission of organizing the information available in the world, making it accessible and valuable to everyone. Thus, with the aim of developing the perfect Internet search engine, Google approaches information as a commodity, which should be readily available. The goal of a search engine is to understand what users mean when looking for information and give back the most relevant results. The engine’s purpose is solely utilitarian and has nothing to do with making people more “stupid.” Following the company’s logic, the information that users access is expected to make them feel more well-informed and well-versed in various topics, to the detriment of inevitably declining concentration. Even though the thoughts of Artificial Intelligence being used as a supplement to human cognition are unsettling, the author’s fears may lack substance.
It should be noted that the essay was published back in July 2008, which means that the outcomes of the consistent reliance of people on the Internet were quite different fourteen years ago. It could have been interesting if the author revisited his opinion piece and compared and contrasted the situation between the current climate and that of the time of the original’s publishing. As Carr mentioned that he started having difficulties engaging with books that he both had to read and found very interesting, there could have been an expansion of the issue as to whether digitally-reliant individuals can find printed books appealing at all. In the age of podcasts, audiobooks, and downloadable publications that are readily available at the fingertips, the issue of concentrating on books is even more relevant.
Technological progress is never going to end as long as humanity exists, with various devices being discovered every year to make life easier. To ensure that people do not lose connection to tangible things, it is important to speak about the importance of individual education, self-discovery, and personal development. The Internet is here to stay, and it may be a positive message that, despite its disadvantages, it could transform humanity in ways that were never imagined before. The COVID-19 pandemic that called for social distancing restrictions revealed that the Internet could be a powerful tool in connecting people and even helping them work when staying home. Thus, it could have been interesting if the author had revisited his essay fourteen years later.
Works Cited
Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic, Web.
Selinger, Evan. “Nietzsche’s Transformative Typewriter.” The Society Pages, Web.