Cliff Notes: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

1. Does the ease of access to information via the internet hinder attention span because too much is available?
2. Why is research style this day in age via the internet less helpful with actual learning versus pre-internet days?
3. Has technology created laziness or efficiency?

Is research style this day in age via the internet less helpful with actual learning versus pre-internet days?

The focus of the article Is Google Making us Stupid? By Nicholas Carr seems to be exploring the notion that while the internet has opened many doors and possibilities, it has also altered the way information is received. When I grew up, if I had to do research for a class project I would go to my local library and find books, magazines and newspaper articles relevant to the subject of my research and read and entire section of a book or an entire article before moving the next item. Focus in those days seemed to be much stronger because we were not being diverted by hyperlinks, flashing ads and social media. Something would be read from start to finish because quick summaries weren’t readily available, thus enabling more thorough research and grasp on subject.  However when pouring through an encyclopedia or reference book it must be noted that, depending on the subject, the information within these works may already be outdated or irrelevant.

Today we are involuntarily exposed to one redirection after another. Like Carr, I have often caught myself looking up one subject on the internet, and ending up at the other end of the spectrum, wondering how I got there. The ease of access to all corners of the world through the internet may have created more vast curiosity, but with the wider range to cover, less time is spent on a core task. The author goes as far as describing Google and the internet as a form of Cliff Notes. Why would someone spend the time on a particular piece if it had a seemingly reliable summary about its contents? One could argue that this creates the ability to cover more information in the same amount of time. Furthermore, while the access to an infinite amount of data is now readily available and more current than printed periodicals, the relevance is hindered. A good example is Wikipedia: I can change U.S. History should I want to by a simple edit; I can create a web page of my own and post any sort of nonsense I can fathom. Hence, new research methods now include the imperative task of determining whether or not a source is credible in addition to how current the information is.

The internet may seem to create a conundrum filled with distractions and trivial deviance to a person’s focus, but it also creates the possibility of access to global and up to the minute information. It gives access of knowledge to people who otherwise might not have been able to get to a particular piece of information. Today, a Tibetan goat herder can research climate in the Pacific Northwestern United States, find organic gluten free recipes for his goats, and check in on what the Kardashians are up to with the simple click of a mouse.