Digital technology has opened new horizons for the human art of thinking and creating knowledge. However, there are risks for humanity in terms of access and human development.
Universal sharing and access of knowledge is facilitated by the use of digital technology. For example, the content of rare and unique books and manuscripts such as those held in The Library of Congress, Washington D.C. are now uploaded to the internet (The Library of Congress, Washington D.C. n.d.). This knowledge no longer restricted to those able to visit the library nor in the case of rarer literature only available to curators, academics and others within the ranks of the privileged few.
Digital technology has led to advancements in tertiary education, such as off-campus and distance learning, on-line tutorials and on-line lectures. Students who would otherwise travel great distances or relocate in order to attend classes can now study from home. This has given rise to higher numbers of students enrolling in higher education (REFERENCE/CITATION REQUIRED). Therefore, increasing the education level of the population, diffusing knowledge amongst a greater number of people.
The speed at which one can disseminate and access knowledge has increased appreciably. Information can be accessed and sent at the touch of a button. For example, no longer is it necessary to pour over books to research a topic. One can simply access the extensive database that is the internet. Sharing information is as simple as sending an email. The speed of transmitting knowledge is of significant value in occupations where timing is crucial such as medicine, emergency services and law enforcement where seconds can mean life or death.
The advent of Skype has enabled physicians...
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The Library of Congress, Washington D.C. (n.d.), viewed 8 May, 2014
Valentine, C 2014, "Medicine in the Digital Age: The Bright Future of EMR" Healthcare Journal of New Orleans, viewed 9 May, 2014
Vinge, V 1993, "The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era, Department of Mathematical Science" San Diego State University, viewed 16 May, 2014
Weyers, B (n.d.), "The Internet’s Impact on Our Thinking: An exploration of the consequential implications on our cognitive thought process" p. 2, NSHSS, viewed 8 May, 2014
The internet is our conduit for accessing a wide variety of information. In his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” Nicholas Carr discusses how the use of the internet affects our thought process in being unable to focus on books or longer pieces of writing. The author feels that “someone, or something, has been tinkering with [his] brain” over the past few years (Carr 731). While he was easily able to delve into books and longer articles, Carr noticed a change in his research techniques after starting to use the internet. He found that his “concentration often [started] to drift after two or three pages” and it was a struggle to go back to the text (Carr 732). His assertion is that the neural circuits in his brain have changed as a result of surfing endlessly on the internet doing research. He supports this statement by explaining how his fellow writers have had similar experiences in being unable to maintain their concentrations. In analyzing Carr’s argument, I disagree that the internet is slowly degrading our capacity for deep reading and thinking, thereby making us dumber. The Web and Google, indeed, are making us smarter by allowing us access to information through a rapid exchange of ideas and promoting the creativity and individualization of learning.
In the articles, “How Facts Backfire” and “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, Keohane and Carr explain the cognitive blocks we are faced with in society. Keohane explains how we can be misinformed because of our beliefs. These beliefs can cloud our judgement of what is true and what isn’t true. Carr focuses on how the internet has changed the way we think. Carr includes how the internet can distract us, making tasks harder to complete. Both Keohane and Carr show us the negatives side effects of cognition.
It is a well-known fact that the Internet has become a central part of society, and it has completely changed every aspect of life for the human race, whether it is for better or worse. Nicholas Carr explains his thoughts on how the Internet has changed how people think in his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” He believes that the human race is losing its ability to think deeply and is creating a distraction culture, and that companies like Google are working to increase this way of thinking. However, the issue of how the human brain is changing with the Internet is very complex, and the answer to this question goes beyond a simple yes or no.
Atlantic journalist Nicholas Carr confesses that he feels something has been “tinkering with his brain.” The internet, he fears, may be messing with our minds. We have lost the ability to focus on a simple task, and memory retention is steadily declining. He is worried about the effect the internet has on the human brain, and where it may take us in the future. In response to this article, Jamais Cascio, also a journalist for the Atlantic, provides his stance on the issue. He argues that this different way of thinking is an adaptation derived from our environment. Ultimately, he thinks that this staccato way of thinking is simply a natural evolution, one that will help to advance the human race.
In his 2008 article Is Google Making Us Stupid, Nicholas Carr, a writer of books, essays and ephemera, claims that the Internet might have negative effects on cognition which could potentially taper our capacity for concentration and contemplation, therefore make us incapable of holding a long attention span. Carr uses vivid imagery, personal examples and voices the views of fellow bloggers who also agree that our way of thinking and ability to concentrate has been altered. His purpose is to address the issue that the simple use of “.com” has transformed our critical thinking patterns and our naturally functioning mind. Carr’s arguments are more indirectly pointed towards the younger generations who have become more reliant of the Internet, however, he addresses the fact that the web is running the risk of making anyone who has access to it full of artificial knowledge. Since Carr’s arguments explicitly rest not only on the views of fellow bloggers but his own opinion as well, his argument is not as persuasive due to the simple fact that he is unable to support his claim with concrete factual data. Nicholas Carr sees the Internet as a loss and not as a gain. His own criticism is more artificial but he seems to miss the humanizing effects of the web and targets the degenerative effects instead.
The internet has made things quick and easy to accomplish, but it has had negative effects on concentration and the reading abilities of individuals. The internet is changing many thing around us, but maybe not all are good changes.
Since the internet's creation, it has been used as a tool to make life easier for the people, but at what cost? In Nicholas Carr's essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, he claims that “what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away [at his] capacity for concentration and contemplation. [Carr’s] mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles” (Carr 610). Carr is not the only person who notices this dramatic change of his brains; many authors, scientists, and teachers have also witnessed the neurological effect in which the internet has caused. However, the internet is not the sole fault of this change, social media has changed the brain’s functions as well. The internet and social
One of the clear topics discussed through out “In Defense of Distraction” was that cell phones and the internet have dramatically influenced the way people think. Of course, with all the access people have to learn something on the web, it would shift people to think in another way. Changing the way people think has others questioning if the way is truly efficient and ends up with a faster result. In a journal article “The Internet’s Impact on Our Thinking: An Exploration of the Consequential Implications on Our Cognitive Thought Process” written by Brent Weyers, he clearly states that “In an academic setting, the internet ‘increases access for all students to information not known to teachers, and therefore, increases the
These two articles are similar in the sense that they agree that the internet and computational objects are reshaping our brain’s structure by changing our neural circuit. By using examples from their personal experiences to identify a trend in technology use, the authors illustrate that the more we bury ourselves in technology the more we are unable to understand material which leads to loss of concentration and the ability to think for ourselves. As an author, Carr finds the internet a beneficial tool, but it’s having a bad effect on his concentration span. Carr points this out by stating “Immersing myself in a book or lengthy article used to be easy, now I get fidgety, lose the thread and begin looking for something else to do” (39). He is no
There is good reason for the growth in online learning in college environments. Student populations have diversified since the introduction of the personal computer and internet (O’Malley and McCraw). Students with geographic, job, or other constraints are now able to benefit from a college education because advances in technology have enabled learning for those for whom higher education was previously not within the realm of possibility.
The discussion into the relevance of this question can only be fabricated based on the definitive consideration of the internet, a key digital facet that expedites the abrasion of print publications. The internet has rendered access to information very effective, easy and strategic. Gone are the days when one would walk miles to the nearest library in order to satisfy their appetite for reading. With the internet, information storage has largely been restructured and can be retrieved in various digital forms. It is therefore commonsensical to assume that many publications, previously in print form, will eventually appear in digital format as e-books. To champions of printed books, this futuristic scenario provides the basis for their arguments.
Over the last decade, we have witnessed technology develop from being something we were just becoming familiar with and slowly embracing, to what it has become now. Contemporary people now have a dependence on being able to communicate with our friends and colleagues wherever and whenever we need to, being able to access and share media on any device, and being able to work on the go and collaborate your ideas and documents with people across the globe. Technology has become truly invaluable to the modern world, and without it the world would suffer from drastic social and economic consequences.
Technology is rapidly changing each and every day, while this is changing it forces the users to have to change along with it. This rapid change raises the question of whether or not this new technology is safe for its users. This new technology raises many problems that include the monstrosity of cyber bullying and addiction to technology. Technology in part is not always bad, It does have its perks which include helping people to communicate over a distance. Technology also allows for advancements in healthcare and allows for people to reach more people. Technology can be the best thing men ever created or it could be the downfall to all humanity.
Temmel, M. (n.d.). THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON OUR DAILY LIFE. Retrieved from TRU: http://www.tru.ca/cpj/essay.html
Society has been impacted both negatively and positively by technology. As a result, every aspect of our lives has been influenced by technology. Hence, life is easier, yet it has taken away some of the enjoyment. For example, remember the days of less stress and more personal interaction, when there were no online messages, no emails, social media or cell phones. We have become excessively dependent on technology. As a result, we need to rely less on technology even though it has made learning fun, and business, daily tasks, work, travel, shopping, making new friends and staying in touch easier. In conclusion, technology has a lot of benefits, yet it could take over our lives and become our worst enemy if we aren't careful.