Is Google Making Us Stupid - Essay Example

Section/# Is Google Making Us Stupid A Discussion and Analysis of Nicholas Carr’s Piece Though it might be convenient to consider the reliance upon technology as starting from the era of computers, the fact of the matter is that land line telephones, beepers, cell phones, mobile communications, personal computers, tablets, and a litany of other devices all have helped to contribute to the means by which the individual societal member integrates with technology. Regardless of the individual device in question, the fact of the matter is that this societal shift impacts upon nearly every aspect of personal life and nearly every relationship that currently exists around the world. The particular article in question which this brief analysis will discuss is that of Nicholas Carr’s ”Is Google Making Us Stupid?”. The pervasive paradigm shift that Carr discusses has occurred over the past 20 to 30 years has been hailed by many as a great move forward with regards to the overall capabilities and development of the human race. However, there is an alternate view as well; one which warns against the fact that many individuals within society are slowly but surely becoming addicted to the very technology that was initially intended to aid them in accomplishing tasks of different varieties. It is the belief of this author that neither of the sides to this debate has all of the facts or is utilizing them to the correct degree. Rather, technology, although a definite aid in accomplishing tasks that would otherwise take quite a while has become something an addictive aid that threatens to reprogram the way in which the human mind and creativity are evidenced. Firstly, it does not take a great deal of analytical or scientific discovery to realize that the way in which technology has reshaped and classified our world is without question. Moreover, a sociological increase into the way in which technology has shifted interpersonal dynamics, relationships, and communication has been conducted by a variety of researchers and convincingly pointed to the fact that the current era of texting, instant messaging, Facebook et al has significantly decreased the amount of time that individuals spend in face-to-face communication and has moved society convincingly towards something of a more introverted nature (Carr 1). Although, as Carr discusses, introversion in and of itself is not necessarily a poor character trait, it must be noted that the overuse and reliance upon these technological tools which have already been discussed has created a dynamic by which formerly extroverted individuals are merely introverted and carrying out a great deal of interpersonal communication that one might otherwise carry out face-to-face via the Internet or other technologically enabled means. However, communication is not the only thing that suffers from an overdependence upon technology. As Carr discusses next, memory recall and the perennial knowledge that any and all information can be readily retrieved has created a situation in which memory and the ability to recall tidbits of information are placed at a much lower premium than they might have been in an era in which the likes of Google or other prominent technological means by which data can be retrieved had existed. Again, it does not take a great deal of imagination to envision an era in which it was necessary for the schoolchild, or even societal shareholder, to be nominally familiar and remember such information as capitals of states, a rough understanding and appreciation for the order and number of presidents, how many chromosomes exists in human DNA, who the first woman in space was, for the year in which the state of Israel was created (Cottler 24). As can be seen, there is something to be said for the amount of memory recall that individual can possess and leverage as a means of readily interjecting key understandings and tidbits of fact, data, and history into conversations and pertinent situations. However, with an overdependence upon technology has, situation in which individuals have placed this premium of memory and recall far down on the list of priorities; choosing instead to merely “Google that” or “look that up” (Radziwill 4). It should be noted that there is nothing wrong with an individual relying upon technology as a means of achieving relevant levels of data or facts that they might not otherwise be familiar; yet, what has transpired is a situation in which data and factual recollection have so far decreased in value that the likes of Google and the other technological giants that exist within the current paradigm have come to supersede this basic and in innate human capacity (Carr 2). This has occurred so much so and with such a rapid pace and progression that it can be understood by the reader that what has been described has come to fundamentally shift the way in which human thought takes place and can convincingly be understood as a prime example of the way in which technological overdependence is exhibited within the modern era. Whereas the two previous factors which a been discussed, the level to which sociological and communication norms and mores have been shifted as a result of technological overdependence and the means by which memory recall and previously understood information has been harmed as a result of technological overdependence, the third issue which will be discussed will focus mainly upon the means by which technological overdependence/reliance/addiction has begun to show signs with regards to psychological factors that are exhibited within the general population. Although this closely mirrors the means by which sociological and cultural factors are exhibited, it is in fact in and of itself a different metric and determined(Rosen et al 54). One does not need to perform an in depth a sociological or psychological evaluation to see the impacts that technological overdependence has had upon an individual stakeholder in society with regards to the overall amount of time that they spend immersed and technology to realize that this has become a very clear and present side effects of the way in which technology exists and is utilized within the modern world. There are of course opposing viewpoints that point to the fact that technology has ultimately helped humans to have all in a positive direction. Due to the fact that it is impossible for any one individual to know and remember all things at one time, individuals who ascribe to this particular understanding of the weakness of the aforementioned theory point to the fact that technology is actually working hand in glove with human constraints and seeking to maximize overall potential (Carr 3). By the same token, those individuals that see technology and the means by which humans integrate with it within the current era as the overall net positive also seek to point to the fact that individuals spending a greater amount of time with technology is merely due to the fact that technology has made it possible for them to have such extent and available time in the first place (Sieberg 17). Additionally, the use and dependence upon aspects of communication such as texting, instant messaging, and social media are viewed not as a net negative; rather, they are viewed as proof that technology has enabled people to keep in contact with more individuals and maintain close relationships that they would have been able to had it not existed within the first place. Though these viewpoints are at least somewhat salient, it must be understood by the reader that they are incomplete with regards to explaining the issues and drawbacks that have been explained in great detail in the first portion of this analysis. Due to the fact that human nature is naturally addictive to many types of behavior, technology has provided yet another means by which this addictive nature can be evidenced within society (Carr 1). To be fair, technology has been both a great benefit and an overall drawback with regards the way in which human behavior and development has taken place over the past several decades. Rather than stating categorically that technology, as is evidenced within the current world invariably leads to a degree of overdependence, a far better handle with which to understand and leverage technology would be to define it as a useful tool that holds within it, as do so many other tools, the ability to become addictive and redefine the way in which the human interacts with the world. In short, the understanding that this analysis, and the piece by Carr, wishes to convey to the reader is that technology has the potential to be addictive; however, technology in and of itself should not be understood by the same means that many other addictive or potentially addictive habits are understood. As such, technology in and of itself is neither evil nor harmful; rather, human dependence upon it and overdependence/addiction to it, as has been defined within the preceding analysis, is what is most destructive with regards to this relationship. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid? - Nicholas Carr." The Atlantic. N.p., 15 Nov. 2008. Web. 16 July 2013. Cottler, Linda B. Mental health in public health : the next 100 years. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Radziwill, Nicole M. Disconnected : technology addiction & the search for authenticity in virtual life. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace, 2011. Print. Rosen, Larry D., Nancy A. Cheever, and L M. Carrier. iDisorder : understanding our obsession with technology and overcoming its hold on us. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print. Sieberg, Daniel. The digital diet : the 4-step plan to break your tech addiction and regain balance in your life. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2011. Print. Read More