Abstract for Is Google Making us Stupid?

There's a reason that today's generations are finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on a task. Today's school children do not even know what it is like to be able to concentrate in class. Nicholas Carr's article, Is Google Making us Stupid? asserts that due to the vastness and speed of technology today, the way people think and make discoveries is changing. Thanks to such innovations as Google, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, and CNN.Com, the word patience is a thing of the past. Information can be found at the snap of a finger. Even twitter is causing people to lose their ability to concentrate because instead of reading a newspaper article, they can find out exactly what is going on through quick 140 character tweets. The question remains whether it is fair to call the people who have adapted to this phenomenon 'stupid'. Why does quick, easy, and simple mean the same thing as 'stupid'? There's no point in spending hours in the library on research when the same information can be found so quickly.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

While I would certainly not use the word 'stupid' to describe how Google, as well as the Internet is changing us, this change is definitely evident. Even as I was reading the article by Nicholas Carr, which was talking about concentration, I could barely concentrate. I did not even read the last few paragraphs because the article just seemed so long. It is ironic that my brain was demonstrating the exact flaw that the article was talking about.

For someone like me who is always interested in learning new pieces of information, and curious about practically everything, Google is the greatest tool I could ask for because as soon as I want to know something, I can have an answer in less than 30 seconds. However, I can not decide whether the benefits or negatives hold more weight. I am slightly fearful for how the internet will impact the generations who grow up with it from the minute they are born. Will ADHD rule the nation?