Thursday, September 1, 2011

Is Google Making Us Stoopid.....

Yes, I know I spelled it wrong (to all the grammar cops!).

After reading Nicholas Carr's 2008 article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" in The Atlantic, I attempted to take a good look at myself and tried to determine if my reading styles and/or thinking styles had changed over the years, specifically in relation to my own increasing use and reliance on the net.

After analyzing the books I used to read prior to increased internet usage (PI) and after increased internet usage (AI....same as artificial intelligence...coincidence, I think not!), I found that the types of books I now read have undergone a massive change. I like to think of myself as a fairly erudite reader, glorying in the great "classics" of literature: Tolstoy, Dickens, Chaucer, well you get the drift, losing myself in the deep story and really taking the time to think about the underlying meanings the author has so cleverly hidden. However, upon closer examination of my habits, I have determined a direct correlation between the amount of time I spend on my computer and the internet and the shift in types of reading material. I've moved from Dickens to Dan Brown and from Tolstoy to Laurell Hamilton (vampire-hunter extraordinaire!). Not to disparage any of these authors because I certainly enjoy them immensely, however they are not what I would call great intellectual works nor promote deep, soul-searching thought that could impact my place in the world....nor will I ever give them up, I enjoy them too much!

What has changed is the fact that I don't have time or the inclination at this point to read those "deep" works. The way I think and search for news, information ,etc. has fundamentally changed, largely in part as a result of my increased use and reliance on the internet. It is impossible to say it is all good or all bad...however, it has fundamentally changed the way we think and the way we read. It's just going to take some time for me to get back to my old habits!!!