Critical Analysis Essay of Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid”
In his essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, Carr reveals his observation that modern man is losing his capacity for concentration and contemplation. He blames the modern man’s change in mental habits to the impact of Google and the Internet technology. He states that the technology we use affects how our mind works. In establishing this he uses a variety of anecdotes and research studies which on the surface appears to support his view. This is evident in the hyperlinks he placed in his essay directing the target audience supposedly to the researches that will support However, upon closer scrutiny it will be revealed that his hyperlinks do not take the audience to the articles and reading materials that will support his view. In fact, he omits these researches possibly because there is no strong evidence that will support his view about how technology affects the mind. This essay seeks to establish that the anecdotes and researches used by Carr do not support his view about the negative impact of technology on the capacity of the mind to contemplate and concentration.
In his essay, Carr referred to a number of anecdotes and researches to support his view about the impact of technology on the mind’s capacity to absorb information and concentrate on reading this information. He found that the use of technology affects the mind’s capacity to concentrate on reading these materials which are in fact distractive and encourages the mind to just skim and bounce from one page to another in searcher of useful information.
One of the authorities he used to support his view was Marshall McLuhan whom, he said, claimed that media are not just “passive channels of information” (Carr). By clicking the hyperlink on Marshall McLuhan, however, one will be directed to a Wikipedia page of Marshall McLuhan. Carr failed to indicate the title of the scientific work, the journal, and year which Marshall McLuhan apparently stated that the media are not just passive channels of information. This basis for his assertion is supposedly crucial to his thesis because he is claiming that technology has an active role in shaping the way we think. He has to present scientific studies about the impact of technology on the way people think. If he is arguing that the technology is shaping our mind then there has to be studies supporting this assertion.
Carr also referred to other writer-bloggers who have written about what they have personally experienced from using Google, Internet, and online media. Scott Karp says and Bruce Friedman said that their reading habits have changed. Friedman said that “I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print” (Carr)
Apparently, Carr wants the experiences of these two individuals to support his theory about how the mind is affected by the use of the Internet. However, upon following the hyperlinks, the readers will be directed to the blogs of these individuals. It does not take the readers to the actual article or essays written by these individuals where they actually made these statements. If Carr wants to quote these individuals then he should have at least put a link at the end of these quotes so that the readers can actually read the articles written by these writer-bloggers. Assuming arguendo that Carr will be able to present these articles, it is doubtful whether the claims of writer-bloggers will have evidentiary weight to actually convince the readers. To be convincing, it is necessary for Carr to actually present scientific studies or researches done on this topic.
In regard to scientific researches, Carr makes an attempt as well to present scientific research to support his assertion. Carr made mention about a recently published study of online research habits conducted by scholars from University of College London who found that Internet changes the way we read from intently reading an article to skimming articles and bouncing from one site to another in search for something interesting. This study would have been interesting. However, upon following the hyperlink, the readers will be taken to the British Library Press and Policy website which shows the press releases page of the said website. It does not take the readers to the actual study of online research habits. If it is a published article then the readers would surely be interested to find out about the methods used, its findings and conclusion. However, Carr apparently failed to cite this source as well.
Carr also makes use of a well-known philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to support his claim about how machines affect the way we work. Apparently, Carr wants the readers to believe that Nietzsche’s use of a typewriter to aid him in his works affected his works. He claims that the writing equipment appears to have changed his writing style making it inferior quality. The anecdote about Nietzsche also lacks credibility because a typewriter is basically different from a computer that is connected to the Internet. Compared to a typewriter, computers perform much more functions than a typewriter which does not store and organize information in the same way as the Internet.
This is not the first time that a claim was made about the impact of technology such as the Internet on the power of the mind. Carr’s claim however is different because he was not able to present convincing evidence to support his theory. Aside from the absence of supporting evidence, what makes Carr’s arguments difficult to believe is the fact that the Internet has become a very useful aid for man’s modern day needs. Carr should realize that unlike during the early part of the 20th Century, the reading materials which are available nowadays are much more than before. Modern man needs a way to gain access to these materials and at the same time evaluate whether they are rubbish or not. The Internet allows man to do all these things with the simple click of the mouse.
Cited Works
Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic. July 1, 2008. Mar 4,2014. < http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/>