I couldn't help but laugh when I first glanced at the title of this piece of writing. As soon as you drag your eyes from the witty title to the rest of what author, Nicholas Carr, has written you can see the truth in it. I have always known that the Internet and Google, aren't always the most honest or truthful ways to find information. Most of the information is just plain false. For example, I do know that Russia and Mexico are not countries that happen to be right on the border each other; as a website from Google shared with me only a few days ago. The struggle to find the correct information, and the information that actually answers your question, has become harder and harder as Google progresses. This is not helped by the fact that our brains have started to progresse differently as well, as Carr shares in this article.
My favorite line in this article is: "I feel as I'm always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle." I can 100% relate to this. Being the avid reader that I am, I have noticed that when I was younger I could sit down for hours and read no problem. But as I have become older, I observed that after the first hours I start to get restless and feel the need to do something else.
I have also noticed then when I use the computer with homework it takes longer. I am much more distracted. I do feel as if I "risk being turned into "pancake people"-- spread wide and thing as we connect with that vast network of information accessed by the mere touch of a button". My homework takes longer, if I don't find the answer that I am looking for in the first five minutes I start to give up.
This article has made me wonder if the distractions to our brains, and the need we feel to find the answers fast; whether they are true or not, is really stemming from Google. It also made me question, that if we are this bad with distractions now, how will we and future generations be as technology progresses. Can Google make us even Stupider?
I also laughed when I read the title, it already had me drawn in. You hit it right on the head, when you say that it is getting harder and harder to find the "real" sources now on Google. I also have found out the hard way that it is hard to keep my mind on one book when there are so many other things you could be doing. It is very hard to focus with all the distractions of the computer! There are so many interesting websites to visit and games to play, it creates a place to get lost in.
ReplyDeleteI thought the title for this essay was genius. It captures the true spirit of what the internet is becoming. A device that draws people in to undoubtedly "distract" them from what they were truly looking for. I agree with both of you that it is becoming insanely hard to find just the right information for what you are looking for. I found that the biggest distraction for me has become Facebook. I will unknowingly spend hours on Facebook. I'm really glad you questioned how bad these distractions can truly get. It is something that future generations that will have to learn to get past. I do feel however that it is human error that makes the internet so difficult to navigate. Has anyone else noticed this?
ReplyDeleteHello Samantha!
ReplyDeleteI 100% can relate to your change in ability to sit for hours and read! I too could have sat all day and read book after book or chapter after chapter when I was younger, but now that would never happen. I also have to agree with you that my homework that requires computer usage takes me much longer than say a math assignment that requires just the book and a calculator for completion. There are too many other fun and exciting things available when the internet is involved for me to focus on just the assignment at hand.
Nice post, Samantha. You raise some interesting, valid points.
ReplyDeleteAs you enter the final week of summer freedom, you might want to look ahead a bit to the first weeks of AP Composition. During the first few days of class, you will take an oral quiz on your vocabulary words. You will also turn in your summer work so I can give you credit for your off-season efforts. Finally, the first major assignment you will write will be based on the non-fiction book you read over the summer.
So, take some time to relax, enjoy some moments with friends, and soak in the last few minutes of summer. After that, the real fun begins!
See you soon.
Your article is great, Sam! I agree with you completely on the fact that there is so much useless information out there on the world wide web and I love the quote you used to summarize the article. However, I have to admit that as useless as the information given to us sometimes is, it's worth it for all the easy-access information we receive. The internet is a crazy thing, but I know I couldn't live without it. Again, great analysis!
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