So, is Google making you stupid? Or is your phone the guilty party? Or is it the device that all of my teachers said was making me and my generation stupid, the television? Or are we obsessed with this issue unnecessarily? How do you respond to this article?
I do not believe Google is making us stupid, but it is making us lazy, just like all other forms of technology we have today. The internet, as well as today's technology were created for our convinience and to make things easier. I think all forms of technology are the ones to blame for this set back in society. I think all have contributed a little to this problem. I think television is doing its job becuase it was created to inform and entertain, but it did place us apart from leacture and books. Few people like to spend their leisure time watching televison rather than reading becuase this way they can spend time with their loved ones. Some other people only read when it becomes a necessity for them, for example when they decide to go on a diet and they read to follow the steps and instructions of magazines. At school people only read because its part of the assignments but few people read for pleasure. Now there is an option in your cellphones or computers to buy e-books but I think is something few people would do. I believe this alternative of reading is obsolete because if people have the option to read on their comuter or to search for the ending of the book online, then people will obviously choose the easiest and most convinient for them, which is find the answers online. It will happen the same if they use a smart phone.
ReplyDeleteWe expect things be done for us and that is why we give so much importance to technology. The use of internet, google and other forms of technology are not a necessity but we are making them look like they are one. It is important that we recognize this is an important issue in our society because the sooner we accept it, the less damage it will cause to society.
I believe Google in a sense helping us learn even more. Because every time any student has an assignments many if not all opt to go on the internet and get information for what ever they need. Even if books, and articles are an option for a source of information, the internet is the option many opt to search. I believe the internet is the first choice because although many sites are not trust worthy or hold any truth validity it is organized and offers many websites options the student can get more information for the topic. I also don't think the phone is too blame for either, because just last week in one of my classes the professor had mentioned some term that no one in my group knew what it meant until some one got the definition from his phone and that is how we got the point for the answer. The television is not too blame for either, it allows us to de-stress our selves from having a bad day. I think we are obsessing a little too much because we need to be inform let it be by internet or the television, as long as the information is true.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting read. I can't say for sure exactly how I feel as I haven't done much reading into this question other than this one, but the reading does help sway me in one direction. I wouldn't say that Google or our phones are making us more stupid, as they are literally providing us with information in real time, I think it has a very different effect on us. I agree with the authors in the article that state that they have noticed a change in their thinking process due to their usage of the web. This is the effect that I believe Google and other online interactions has on us. It sort of resembles a desensitization to the information. We don't want all of the source, but a short synopsis that will allow us to use a quote or reference. This is what the internet provides us. We are so use to having the information here, now and as short but content rich as possible. Because of this, we are not able to do the hard or long readings that the author discusses. It is simply too much for us to take because it is almost becoming more of a hindrance than a learning aide.
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ReplyDeleteI think to an extent, that the fact that we have the ability to do a quick search for an answer on our phones or computers, is making us stupid. When you finish cramming for that final exam... how long before you forgot the majority of the information? Its because you memorized the info and didnt truely "learn' it. The same goes for quick searches. Unless the answer you find is incredably intriguing and you discuss it at lengths with several people, will that quick answer stick with you. But... this generation is also pretty lazy, so if they wanted an answer to something that wasnt at their finger tips, theyd probably just shrug their shoulders and forget about it. <---- the laziness is caused by the easy access!
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is convenient, but it scares me at how my kids are going to learn now. I hear of elementary schools where each child has an ipad at their desks. This is not ok by me. In our house we limit "screen time". My son gets 20 minutes to play games on the ipad (it has stretched to 40 at times when Im busy and forget hes on there), and the tv is only on for an hour in the morning while we get ready for school and it doesnt come back on until after dinner. It scares me when I watch him watch tv. He stares at it like hes in a trance. It can take him over an hour to eat a piece of toast because he is so lost in that rectangular hell on our wall. I try to encourage him to play with his toys so that he can develope his imagination, or read books or go outside, but all he can think about while doing these things is when can he get back on the ipad or watch tv? Why do these electronics have such a power over my 5 year old? I cant stand being on the computer for longer than 5 or 10 minutes at a time (this story was torture to read, it took me a few trys). Im one of those individuals that think nothing can replace a good book. I love researching in librarys too.
Have I gotten off track? Sorry.... so Yes, I think people rely way too much on technology and that it is creating a stupider generation.
I think that if anything google helps us to learn more. I cannot count how many times my parents have talked about the benefits of having the world at their fingertips. I have to agree with them, if we ever need to know anything we just look it up. I think that my phone is the same way as far as helping to know more information. I like many of us have a smart phone with a big data plan that I use to look thing up on all the time. I have even used my phone to comment on some people’s blog posts for this class. Although, I do look at many social media applications that I can agree are not a very good use of time. I think that television is a good thing to have and to be able to watch on occasion. I am not a person who watches much TV, but I know of people who spend all of their free time watching. I do think that watching some TV is a part of relaxing that people need however, so is reading a novel. The main problem that I have is with children’s TV. The cartoons and sitcom shows that kids watch are almost worthless. I only know of a couple that I would even consider letting my children watch, I have no idea how some people think that they are appropriate for their young child to watch. I don’t think that we are at all obsessed with the issue of television at all. I am a firm believer that kids need to play outside and with each other as much as they can. The television will always be in the living room for when they are sick or it is raining. I truly feel that the problems associated with obesity and out of shape children are almost directly related to so much use of screens and computer games. At the same time it is also the parent’s responsibility to make balanced meals and keep their children moving.
ReplyDeleteI like that your parents refer to it as having the world at their fingertips. That is very true! I used to go to the library to do my research, but I was never guaranteed that the information would be at that specific library. It is nice and convenient to be able to type in a topic and have so many outlets to choose from. I also like how you give your views about television. After a long day of school and work, I like to be able to turn on a favorite TV show and be completely numb to academic knowledge and just relax. I agree with you 100% that most children TV shows are worthless. There are some educational and interactive shows for children, but I feel like many of the children who watch those shows aren't even at that level of learning yet. I guess they believe that the earlier they begin to watch then the better chance they have of "learning" and creating a fan base. I babysit children under 5 years of age and I only allow them to watch cartoons that are both entertaining and promote healthy learning when they are tired of playing with me and their toys.
DeleteI am an avid reader that loves to get lost in a book for hours on end in the bathtub, in the car on long car trips, and in bed on nights when sleep eludes me. However, these moments are far and few between with all that life tosses at me on a daily basis. Thanks to my Kindle I can hoard as many books as I can purchase or download to my heart’s content that is easily portable. It provides not only an e-reading function but, it also functions as a portal to the internet as well. As a student I rely heavily on Google for a quick answer, a point in the right direction, and qualification of a position I’m currently taking for one paper or another. I cannot count the hours I’ve spent within a library going through card catalogs, hefting extremely heavy encyclopedias, and hounding librarians for assistance in thoughts and possible ideas. While this process is one that is alien to most students today I can appreciate the way it used to be yet, I am forever grateful to improvements/advancements that have propelled us to a convenient, less time consuming reality. Having been exposed to the less gloriousness of the library as well as the easiness of the IPhone, tablet, and Wi-Fi, I personally don’t feel at a loss of brain cells. It is my position that my attention span has not been adversely affected by the amount of information that is available to me at the touch of a device; on the contrary I’ve found that I learn something new every day. On the other hand, I have seen the loss of socialization skills increase alarmingly, the loss of English syntax, and conversations that now include slang or text languages. While I don’t feel the dramatic effects of over-dependency, I can see its effects on the next generation. Growing up in the eighties meant few outlets for enjoyment and education that didn’t include physically using, touching, or finding a particular object or tool such as a book. There is a sense of sadness that the next generation is missing that element but, there is a hope that they take advantage of the opportunities that are afforded through the use of technology that is available to them to increase their intelligence rather than waste it.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has helped the American on-the-go lifestyle a great deal. I am going to apply the hardships of a typical college student to the amount of time in a day. Not because a student is busier than a working adult, but because I can relate. A student has to worry about cooking, self-grooming, cleaning, laundry, working out, volunteering, maintaining a hobby, and working a full-time job while attending a full-time school schedule. Homework is mandatory to succeed while maintaining a social life is mandatory to instil a healthy emotional balance. Not to mention all the other more personalized problems a person might have aside from the general problems. Some might have a health problem while others might have a baby to tend to. The amount of problems life throws at us does not permit a person to 100% self-emerge ourselves into research and reading like the article stresses. The only thing we are able to self-emerge ourselves to the maximum is our job, our career. A job is constant. If there was a guarantee that a person could survive in the city by solely reading, “deep reading” that is, then there would be more reading hobbyists. But that’s just wishful thinking. I was an avid reader. I wish I could read and sip wine by tranquil crisp waters. I wish I could read and learn everything there was to know about life because I know books hold a lot of knowledge. Knowledge that I’ll probably never come across in this lifetime. But that’s the purpose of Google. Everything is at our fingertips. Any curiosity can be searched on Google. Google serves as a starting point to research and discovery. Google saves us an immense of time, and time is one of the most precious things in life. Google is a convenience and a necessity.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that technology is affecting our brains in some way or form. I do not know for sure that it is making us stupid, but honestly who knows. I think the more we progress in technology, the easier things become for us and that is not necessarily a good thing. Sure we get information in less than seconds and we can keep up with all the latest news, but we are not really learning. For every thing we do in this world or in our life in general will have some kind of affect on us or something else. Maybe not in bad way all the time. but it is just a chain reaction. It may take some time before truly notice the affects technology is having on us.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading the article I realized that I have experience the same issues with my reading. I have never been to big of reader and I still do not care to read. I have been trying to improve that. When I read articles online I have noticed that I read less or I skim the article. My attention does not stay on the article especially if it is a couple of pages long. I even find myself rereading the same sentence over and over, and still not understanding what I read. I seriously do not know if that has to do with technology itself, but I thought it was interesting that I had the same issues as discussed in the article.
The technology we have today is convenient and beneficial for everyone. It helps those that can not attend school, get things done on their own time. But I have to question that if people did it in the past, why can't the society we live in today do it? I mean college has been around for a long time and at one point people stayed in libraries to study or do research. Some how people managed their time then to make work and school function in their daily lives. Technology has just made things too easy for us. We really do not have to work hard when it comes to finding out something new. Any piece of information can be looked up, but I do not think this is for the better. We are forgetting the basics and traditions of how things use to be done. If our generation and even future generations were striped of all the technology we have today, would we still be able to function in the world we live in? I do not think so. We do need to be concerned with impact technology has had on us and will continue to have. People should question it, but because it makes our lives easier no one really wants to.
Is Google making you stupid? Or is your phone the guilty party? I disagree with that. If technology is able to feed us with abundance of information we need in just a second, it does not mean that we do not use our brains as much anymore. Technology is not degrading the function of our brains, instead it is changing the way we use them. A search engine like Google might interfere our ability to recall information, because we voluntarily let the Google keeps it; and we will retrieve it when we need it. With the help of search engines, we might not use our brains to memorize information, but we use them to think and memorize where or how to retrieve the information and how to link one information to another. Talking about technology is talking about creating work process that is faster than it used to be, so that with the help of technology, we can have many work processes are run and completed in one time. As we might remember, when the computer technology was introduced in early 90s, at school, we (we: my generation) learnt how a computer system worked through a flow chart. We learnt how computer was thinking systematically: started with “Start”, “Input”, “Process”, and had to be closed with “End”. Now, the digital natives were born with a built-in that type of thinking. Their ability to adapt to a new technology is so amazing. Their creativities which are utilizing technology are so impressive. The founder of Facebook or Dropbox and thousands of creative employees working for IT companies, most of them are digital natives, the ones who were born in early 80s to the early 2000s. The fast work processes enables them to do so many creative things. Search engine like Google is one of the inventions that has created a faster work process: work process to search information. This faster work process should leave a bigger space in our brains to be utilized for doing or creating many (new) other things; it should enable multitasking. If we feel that Google is making us stupid, that’s because we choose to be lazy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it does not dumb us down, it only alters our way of thinking. I like how you mentioned that we can save information on the internet as well. I "bookmark" a lot of sites that I use so it can be easier to access, especially when working on a research paper. I am able to save or bookmark the articles I view so that I can quickly return to my information source. It is very convenient to be able to retrieve such information at home, rather than going to a public library and hoping to find the information there.
DeleteThis read was very interesting. Sense I have not researched much on this topic, I have only this article and haven't thought about the topic much. After reading, I think I am more on the side of no. Google is not making us stupid. I believe that the internet and our phones are helping the busy lives that Americans now live. I am going to relate my thought toward Sarah. As a student, I can relate the a busy lifestyle. As a student, you must be a full time student with homework that must be completed, work to have money, workout, clean, have time to eat, and during this try to spend time with your family and friends. Balancing homework to keep good grades and maintain a social life is needed for a good future and healthy life overall. While you try to balance all this craziness, boom, something even crazier comes up in life. Someone get sick, you get sick, someone gets hurt. Life is full of surprises and stress. A career is promising, and reading a textbook will earn you a career. "Deep reading" will not get you a degree, its a hobby. I love time to really get into a book, sadly my only time is during summer, and I honestly run out of time even during summer. It's rare to have time to just sit and relax, I barely have time for sleep. Being a student or an adult with a career and family is so packed and busy. Google gives us a way to quickly find information we need without wasting time we need for other things in our day like work and homework. Time is so important. As a student, I feel as if I don't have enough time during the day. Google saves us the time when we need it to. It is helping us find information we need at the click of a button.
ReplyDeleteThe article was interesting and raised many points to consider. Google and the internet have diminished our minds a little because we aren't spending time to read. But like some of my classmates discussed, Americans are busy whether they are working full time in their career or student balancing work, school, social life, and everything else. Google and the internet give us 24 hour access to what we need to know. Sadly we don't have time to deep read and get the knowledge books can provide. But skimming and scrolling are essential for students because we have so many readings and homework assignments for three or more classes. We don't have time to work to pay our bills, read every assignment for each class, and have time for our self to keep us sane. Google and the internet save time while giving us what we need when we need it.
ReplyDeleteTo a certain extent I believe Google is making humankind stupid. I understand that Google can be convenient to find out information on any subject that is desired. However, some individuals may not be as educated as others and believe everything they read online. For instance, when it comes to the fitness industry and dietary supplements, many people tend to fall for the pseudoscience “data.” People tend to believe that just because they read information online on an article, that the information is correct. People who usually have a higher education such as college students are less susceptible to believe everything they see and read online. I also, believe google is making us lazier. People can now go onto google, search for restaurants nearby; make an order and have the food delivered straight to their door. What happened to being more physically active and commuting to places? Well, technology is definitely a result of that. I don’t agree with TV making us stupid because there are actually many educational shows on TV today. In previous generations, educational channels were not available. Toddlers and children now have the opportunity to watch a cartoon show and learn how to count, learn their colors, and shapes. I believe the way one uses Google online can either help them or actually backfire on them and skew their intelligence.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Google is making us more informative of issues and concepts, but at the same time people are becoming dependent on Google as well, but it’s not making people stupid. It’s kind of like using a calculator, you know how to calculate what 89 times 3 is, but you know you have a calculator to solve it, so why bother solving it. I’m not saying that we know everything, and that is why Google is beneficial, it informs you on almost everything that you are uncertain about. As a student I too use Google for understanding keys, concepts, and methods that I might not understand in class. An issue that I and many other people have with using Google is that, if I learn something and it’s not something I find interesting, I will forget it. I truly believe that when I read a textbook and write the important notes on paper, it sticks better and longer in my brain. Sometimes using the complicated methods of memorizing (reading a textbook, making notes) are way better than just searching the issue online and knowing it.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when you need the answer to a question right away, and it’s completely normal to do a search because that’s the easiest and most convenient source a person has. A couple years back, I know I had to use the yellow book to look up any phone numbers, and now I just type in the name of the place/office on Google and find the number/address that way. The method of obtaining information has become more easier and convenient using Google, which is causing people to become a bit lazy on how they obtain and memorize the information.
I feel that Google is an excellent tool that makes life simpler. I personally am one of those people that uses Google for everything, its a perfect tool that allows me to find information in seconds.The information I find is convenient and using good browsing skills, it is very accurate. I feel that the issue is unnecessary because the point of technology is to make life easier and to save you time. With anything though overusing it or being too dependent on it is bound to cause problems. For example when researching for a paper, I use Google as a starting point and from their I proceed to looking for articles on credible sites or in the library. Technology does not make an individual stupid because it has no control in the matter, it is the individual that makes the decision to overuse such resources. In the end it comes to personal choice. It is ones decision to be overly dependent on their phone, spend hours watching television or over use search engines such as Google. I guess it just easier to say Google is making me stupid rather then saying I am stupid for being so dependent on Google.
ReplyDeleteI believe that I is altering our way of thinking or processing information. I'm not going to lie, it is nice to be able to use the internet for quick fact checks and to be able to conveniently look up research articles for papers without leaving home. Although, I am also unable to read books as well as I used to. Novels seem much more lengthy and take a longer time to read because I get easily distracted by other things like Facebook, TV, or apps on my phone. It may be due to the fact that most of the things I read daily are usually no more than a paragraph or so. Anything longer than that I will usually skim. I had to laugh while reading this article because when he mentioned skimming over text and getting tired of reading at certain points, I was skimming his article and even took breaks throughout reading it since it was so long. I do not believe the internet is necessarily "dumbing" us down, but it is definitely changing our way of processing information. In fact, the only game apps that I use on my phone are the brain teaser and pattern type games that get you to use your thinking skills. Google is extremely beneficial to the point of giving people a greater chance of finding what they want when searching. I believe we could live without it, but why do that when it can be so useful and convenient to our busy lives?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say that Google and other similar methods of gathering information are making us stupid. In fact, I think that since they help gather information faster and distribute it at great speed, they are making us more knowledgeable. Since phones are now used to view the information provided by search engines, they help keep us informed. I do believe that it has made us more dependent on others keeping us informed. I'm sure the intensity how the general population would seek out information on their own has deteriorated since the introduction of the television. The introduction of the television was probably what set off the information gathering dependency we currently have. It is an issue we must be aware of though, As previously stated, I don't believe this is making us stupid, just more lazy and dependent. The Google article discussed that people have lost focus in other "traditional" methods of gaining knowledge. It seems that people are not getting more stupid, but they are now becoming accustomed to receiving information within "Google seconds." The article did make great points, but even then I think they were focusing on how our brain is not as focused as it used to be. If the writer of the article was meaning to make the readers believe that current dependency will ultimately lead us to stupidity then I can understand why that may occur sometime within the future.
ReplyDeleteOur generation now lives in a world of convince. Google is just helping us live an easier life. Google is a search engine and was designed to look up information. Why shouldn’t we use it? All different generations have had new technology that people believe are making their generation stupid. For example, some think TV, Video games, or cell phones will make people dumber. I do not think google or any other technology is making us stupid. Google might make us a little lazy. For example, instead of looking up the definition for a word in a dictionary one might simply google the word instead. Our phones help keep everything easy accessible and at our fingertips. I have never read this article before. However, I have heard people talk about whether or not google is making us stupid. I believe the new technology helps with our busy day to day lives. I still feel that if people truly enjoy reading then google, technology, or the internet won’t come between this love. I am not a big reader, but when I really get into a book it’s hard for me to put it down. Also, when googling something we still have to use thought to go through and pick out the right kind or article or sight to find what we are looking for. I couldn’t imagine not having google or another search engine on the web. It has always so easy and helpful for me.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that Google is making us stupid, I do think that Google contributes to our laziness. I don’t think that our phones make us stupid either. Phones have nothing to do with our stupidly, phones have made communication more accessible and impersonal. Television seems like the most probable cause of our stupidity out of the three. Television sucks us in with unrealistic reality shows and consumes our time and mind. We should be concerned with the issue of technology making us stupid and lazy but also keep in mind the benefits of all the new technologies that are available to us as well as the intelligence it takes/took to create these things.
ReplyDeleteThe article made a good point in that technology is making us more robotic while it’s becoming more life-like. In the movie Her, people are glued to their phones and spend their days talking to their operating systems. The operating systems start out with robotic voices that read your messages, news, and articles to you without being able to converse with you. Soon enough, the operating systems are made with human-like voices and are chosen for you specifically depending on how you answer questions like “how is your relationship with your mother?” The operating systems have their own unique personalities and start to acquire their own feelings, thoughts, and dreams. This movie makes the same point that is stated at the end of the article. Technology is becoming more advanced and humane and we are becoming less compassionate.
I was a little freaked out reading about the part that they are trying to make Google an artificial intelligence. Maybe I misunderstood their point but it seemed to me as though they want Google to be as close to a human as possible and that is just weird. It reminds me of an old Disney movie called Smart House. The entire house was ran by a computerized woman. By the end of the movie she tried to set all of the rules and control the people living in the house. I doubt Google would turn in to something that crazy but you never know! So to answer the question, I do believe that technology in general is making me "stupid" in some areas of my life. I can relate to some of the points made in the article. For instance, I reading was once my absolute favorite thing to do, but now it takes me three times as long to finish one book. It is hard for me to focus on one book for more than about 20 to 30 minutes. I am actually reading four different books right now because when I lose interest in one I can just hop over to another one. After reading this week's reading, I believe I function like this now because of my excessive web use. Not only do I have problem's with my reading, but I also now struggle with everyday tasks. My brain is always throwing new and random thoughts at me. I forget things fast and my attention span seems to be dropping lower and lower every day. I get bored with everything (conversations, movies, homework, etc) more quickly now, than I did with the same things a couple of years ago. This all must occur because of the way technology is designed. When I am on my phone, watching television, or surfing the web I can easily move on to something every five seconds when I have a need to look at something different. I think technology also makes me impatient in the world outside of technology. Since I can get everything so smoothly and quickly through technology I expect the same results from people, books and everything else! But it doesn't always work out that way.
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