Technological innovation is now one of the most basic motivations in developing the human society. However, some technological growth is worrisome, especially digital technologies, because a lot of intellectuals claim that technology is changing the human mind and these changes are probably not all positive. Nicholas Carr, one of the intellectuals I’m referring to, uses his personal experiences to tell the worrisome about the convenience we gain from the developing technologies is changing our minds, and probably destroying our abilities of independent thinking. Obviously, Carr ignores the positive impacts of technology which are more effective than the negative impacts he focuses on. The technology development is still one of the most important
Each evolution of technology opened a new window for human to discover the new unknown. To be specific, the first microscope provided a new media for scientists to discover the mysteries in micro world; the astronomical telescope provided an opportunity for human really raise their heads to observe the mystery of universe. The technology has continuously provides new methods for human to discover new areas, meanwhile, human’s visual field in discovering the unknown exactly has been gradually expanded by each technological evolutions in the history. Our ancestors had only focus the world around of them because not only lacking the methods of observation, but also had never recognized that there were another different world existing out of their visual field. Today, the scientists created the second race which can thinking besides human, the Artificial Intelligence. The technology once again opened a new window for human to discover the mystery of a new world. This time, it’s a world in our brains and it’s a discovery about how human thinks about the
They claims that the convenience of the Internet is distracting our attention in creative work, and probably is destroying our independent thinking abilities. Carr describes a possible result that if the phenomenon kept growing in the future, “our minds should operate as high-speed data-processing machines.” (Carr, 338). He is worrying that we would probably become a component of the computer could never think as human. Carr’s worries are reasonable, but it seems like an over-thinking. One evidence that rejects Carr’s worry is the growing annual amount of published papers. Obviously, the benefit of the Internet, such as motivating inspiration, exotic criticism, and lower pressure in calculation and memories can fill the gap caused by the distraction of intellectual’s attentions. Meanwhile, enthusiasm in discovering, critical thinking and creative abilities, which are provided by technology, give today’s intellectuals a higher research ability than our ancestors. Carr mentions that Plato and Socrates were afraid of the technology because they were “shortsighted”. However, it’s exactly what I think to Carr’s worry that technology is affecting our minds in the negative impact probably. The intellectuals who are worrying the negative impact of technology to our minds are as “shortsighted” as Plato and Socrates were. Their worries will be
...ysterious technology. When referencing the new technology he states, “They supply the stuff for thought, but they also shape the process of thought” (6). Carr’s main point is the effect of technology, especially the Internet, is changing the programming of the brain.
In the article Mind Over Mass Media, Steven Pinker claims that the use of technology enhances our intelligence, despite what critics say, when used in productive ways. Pinker supports his claim by explaining that if electronic media were hazardous to intelligence, the quality of science would be plummeting and that philosophy, history and cultural criticism, are flourishing will the use of the Web. The author’s purpose is persuade readers that new media is allowing mankind to locate information at a faster rate, in order to prevent readers from believing that technology is hurting us. The author writes in an informal tone for technology users.
Like Gladwell, Nicholas Carr believes the internet has negative effects. In his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, Carr attempts to show as the internet becomes our primary source of information, it diminishes the ability to read books and extensive research. Carr goes on to give a very well researched account of how text on the internet is designed make browsing fast and profitable. He describes how the design for skimming affects our thinking skills and attention spans. He wraps up his argument by describing what we are losing in the shift toward using the internet as our main information source. Carr suggests the learning process that occurs in extensive research and through reading is lost. While the learning process can be beneficial to scholars and intellectuals, not everyone has the capability to follow through with it. The internet offers an education that anyone can have access to and understand. Also if Carr believes the learning process is better, this option is always available for people who want to learn according to this scholarly principal. However, for the rest of the population the quick and easy access has allowed the average population to become more educated, and to expose themselves to aspects of academia that previously is reserved for
From communicating with one another to researching for an essay, these high-tech gadgets are constantly being used. Unfortunately this is slowly becoming a danger to the human mind and an individual's ability to carry out simple tasks. This can be shown through the examples in Carr’s novel. He states multiple times that technology is damaging the brain and is struggling to do the simple tasks it should be able to do. Through his multiple examples, it is clear that technology is hurting us because we can no longer contemplate, concentrate, remember certain details, and more. Although, we cannot avoid using technology, we should be mindful of how often we use
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.
“With every new innovation, cultural prophets bickered over whether we were facing a technological apocalypse or a utopia” (Thompson 9). This quote states that with every significant break-through with technology, people contemplate whether it will have a positive or negative effect on mankind. Technology allows for external memory sources, connections to databases, and it allow easy communication between people. Thompson then directly counters Carr’s hypothesis and states that “[c]ertainly, if we are intellectually lazy or prone to cheating and shortcuts, or if we simply don’t pay much attention to how our tools affect the way we work, then yes - we become… over reliant” (Thompson 18). In his opinion, “[s]o yes, when we’re augmenting ourselves, we can be smarter… But our digital tools can also leave us smarter even when we’re not actively using them” (Thompson
Throughout our everyday lives whether we think about it or not. Computers and technology are and have been an integral part of our lives. Computers and technology assist us with so much, such as the way we drive and the way we learn. We no longer have to deal with the hassle of driving stick and we no longer have to be in a physical classroom with the advent of online education. In Clive Thompsons’ essay “Smarter than you think how technology is changing our minds for the better,” he discusses how the ever changing capacity of technology improves the mental cognition of human beings.
Humans are becoming more technologically-efficient every day. New inventions and innovations are constantly being made. The Internet is becoming more “reliable” every day. However, how much do we really get from the constant advancement of Internet use and smarter technology? Should we look at their contributions to the world as a benefactor or a curse? The common effect of “artificial intelligence” in the technology we use every day is examined by two brilliant authors, Nicholas Carr and Jamias Cascio. In Carr’s article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, he explains the effects of the Internet and technology in our society and claims that the overuse of technology is dangerous and can affect how our mind operates. Jamias Cascio, on the other hand, uses his article “Get Smarter” to show the positive effects of technology in our constantly adaptive society claims that technology may just be making our society smarter and more efficient. While Carr and Cascio both use the claim of cause in their articles to provide valid points on how technology affects our society, Carr’s article proves to be more effective because it focuses on skeptical-based evidence and uses a variety of appeals and proofs.
People all around agree that technology is changing how we think, but is it changing us for the better? Clive Thompson definitely thinks so and this book is his collection of why that is. As an avid fiction reader I wasn’t sure this book would captivate me, but the 352 pages seemingly flew past me. The book is a whirlwind of interesting ideas, captivating people, and fascinating thoughts on how technology is changing how we work and think.
Author Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google making us Stupid,” discusses how the use of the computer affects our thought process. Carr starts out talking about his own experience as a writer and how he felt like “something had been tinkering with his brain, remapping his neural circuitry and reprogramming his memory”(313). Basically, he is acknowledging that since he started using the Internet his research techniques have changed. Carr believes that before he would immerse himself in books, lengthy articles and long stretches of prose allowing his mind to get caught up in the narrative or the
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.
In “ 5 Things We Need To Know About Technological Change”, by Neil Postman, Postman describes the prices we have to pay each time something new is made. The first price is culture, culture always pays a price for technology. For example, cars and pollution ( and many other less obvious examples). As Postman says: “Technology giveth and technology taketh away”.The second thing to know is that there are always winners and losers in technological change. As Postman explains: “the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies are never distributed evenly among the population”. There are always winners and losers in technological change. Winners tend to be those whose lifestyle is most closely aligned with the values of technology. The losers are those who don’t put technology on the first place. So for some technology is everything, while others are not that into it. As for the third thing that Postman describes is that in every technology there is a hidden philosophy about how the mind should work. I believe what Postman is saying is very similar to what Nicholas Carr, the author of “Tools Of The Mind” said. In “Tools of the Mind”, Carr introduces us to a new word, which he frequently uses called “intellectual ethic”, meaning an assumption implicit in a tool about how the mind should work. Carr explains how the map, clock, and writing are “intellectual technologies” that changed society and our ways
Humans have been creating tools that allow us to be do things that would be otherwise impossible since the beginning of our existence. The ability to use and develop new tools is what sets us apart from all other animals. Yet it seems that ever since these tools started being created there were also people that feared these new tools and claimed that they are bad for the human race. The present fear of new technology is illustrated in the essay “Is Google Making us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr. In this essay Carr argues that the internet and other new technologies are changing the way we think in a negative way. Carr claims that new technology is making our generation stupid. In opposition the article “Smarter Than You Think” by Clive Thompson
Since antiquity the human mind has been intrigued by artificial intelligence hence, such rapid growth of computer science has raised many issues concerning the isolation of the human mind.
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