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
Advancements in technology have strived to make life easier for so many people. In most cases, the advancements have achieved its goal, but in the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr questions if the improvements in society have unintentionally hindered our thought process overall. Carr begins the article by providing personal instances when his concentration seemed to diminish due to the internet. He explains how he now loses interest when reading lengthy portions, his mind just can’t seem to remain connected to his readings. He then proceeds to talk about how today’s life is surrounded by the internet, and explains the pros and cons of it. The negative side of it is that his mind now wonders off when seeking information from
In The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, he asserts that the evolution of information and communication technology (ICTs) is having a detrimental impact on our brains despite the many benefits and advances we have made with it. His main focus is on the internet which he commonly refers to as the “universal medium” (92). Carr presents a very detailed but biased argument in which he views the internet and other technologies as the adversary of critical thinking and progress. To Carr, we are sacrificing our ability to think logically because we are choosing the simpler way to gain knowledge.
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.
The use of technology is debilitating our ability to think pensively. Carr demonstrates that relying on the internet reduces the use of our creativity flow in our brains. “The Web provides a convenient and a compelling supplement to personal memory - but when we start using the Web as a substitute for personal memory, by bypassing the inner processes of
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.
Advances in technology have influences our society at home, work and in our health care. It all started with online banking, atm cards, and availability of children’s grades online, and buying tickets for social outings. There was nothing electronic about going the doctor’s office. Health care cost has been rising and medical errors resulting in loss of life cried for change. As technologies advanced, the process to reduce medical errors and protect important health care information was evolving. In January 2004, President Bush announced in the State of the Union address the plan to launch an electronic health record (EHR) within the next ten years (American Healthtech, 2012).
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.
The internet is ever changing, and so our minds, but can the internet mold our minds? Nicholas Carr and Michael Rosenwald support the idea that the reading we do online is making it harder to be able to sit down with a good book. In their papers they discuss the downfalls of using the web. While on the other hand author Clay Shirky challenges that thought in his piece. Shirky directly battles the idea that the internet is damaging our brains by suggesting that internet use can be insightful. In this essay I will evaluate all three articles and expose their strengths and weaknesses then add my own take on the situation.
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
Carr discusses the effects that the Internet has on our minds and the way we think, as well as the way media has changed. Our minds no longer focus. When in conversation with people we are constantly distracted by the technological advances our era has brought. Text messages, emails, pop culture drama has all taken over thoughts.
He observes that his mind has been changing with the use of the internet and that computers are diminishing his capacity for concentration and contemplation (Carr 315). He effectively expresses his feelings that longer attention spans are being replaced by more instant-gratification demanding mindsets. It’s with these newfound mindsets that Carr expresses concern that the human psyche is becoming little more than robotic algorithms incapable of reflection, deep critical thinking, problem solving, or imagination (Carr 327). Furthermore, Carr’s concern with how technology affects our ability to think has been echoed in research specific to
Scientific breakthroughs rise exponentially, with the potential for new ideas every few seconds, and 3.) The point at which the future cannot be predicted beyond a scientific sense. Looking solely at the first concept, technological singularity is the most pressing in today’s society, especially with multiple films depicting apocalyptic environments that are a direct result of A.I. Evidence of this event can be shown when computer power is plotted against Moore’s law, a predicted rate of computational evolution devised by Gordon E. Moore in 1965.... ... middle of paper ...
Society is feeling the impact of the shift in educational options. However, while there are more opportunities for students, there is another door opened for inequality to take place. As technology advances, a social phenomenon is beginning to change the way that Americans are obtaining college degrees. Approximately 3.2 million students were enrolled in at least one completely online class in the fall semester of 2005 (Clark-Ibanez & Scott, 2008). The effects of technological advances within the educational setting are having an impact on the way in which students are learning, leaving some students with limited options.
Temmel, M. (n.d.). THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON OUR DAILY LIFE. Retrieved from TRU: http://www.tru.ca/cpj/essay.html
The Internet has made access to information easier. Information is stored efficiently and organized on the Internet. For example, instead of going to our local library, we can use Internet search engines. Simply by doing a search, we get thousands of results. The search engines use a ranking system to help us retrieve the most pertinent results in top order. Just a simple click and we have our information. Therefore, we can learn about anything, immediately. In a matter of moments, we can become an expert.