I like to agree with both of the articles. I tend to disagree with Google actually making a "stupid" and making it difficult to bring our brain back to text and reading. I have felt that the internet and Google has helped me to actually read more because I can read many things from the typing of my fingertips whereas i would have to carry a book all around the place with me and a book will only have specific types of information. I am more up to date with current events because of Google. Now about Google making us smarter, that's tough to argue. I believe it depends on how you actually use Google. Do you believe everything you read on it? Do you go to reliable websites to get information? These are types of questions you should think about before assuming that Google makes us "smart" or "stupid".

I know I am one of those people who if I don't know something, I will say "oh, I'll just Google it" and now a days some people don't even know how to research things using books and its because of google.

We are on the same page as to if Google makes us stupid or smarter. I definitely agree that Google gives you more of a variety of information whereas a book limits the information you get on a topic. Google is more up to date information than books are anyways.

I don't think stupid and lazy would be the correct way to put it. Not all people who use Google, use it as an easy way out! I see what you're saying but it I feel it depends on the information you're looking for. Lately, not everyone will have time like they used to go to a library and search through all the books to find an answer. The world is moving too quickly!

I like what you said about Google giving great examples on "How to's", you can learn a lot on quick easy ways to build or learn a task without having to go to an instructor and paying money! So I guess, Google can save us time and money! :)

I wouldn't say that the Google has made us stupider, but I have heard of studies being done to try and correlate a loss in attention span with the use of TV and internet. I don't know the validity of these studies but there seems to be some people who have personally noticed this change in their own life, which leads me to believe there could be some truth behind it. You can't say that a loss in concentration makes a person generally more stupid though, it's just a mental block they'd have to overcome.

I agree, people are giving up the certainty of the information being right from a book for the easiness of finding information on the web. Even though its not always accurate its way faster, and thats all we care about nowadays.

Both articles agreed on one point: Google changes how we think. What they disagree on is how it changes us. Does it turn into distracted skimming machines that are unable to perform deep thought, or does it force us to make deeper connections from the varied sources of data we get? I think that Google does both. Life certainly is much more distracted than it once was, but it is also more efficient. People may not have the time to read a 20-page article on global warming, but they can skim facts about global warming and perform another search about anything that they are unsure of. One word that we hear more and more now is "multitasking", and that's the skill that Google and the internet help us with. I think that this generation will be the "multitasking" generation and that we won't be smarter or dumber than the generations before us, but we will have a new style of thinking and problem solving.

I feel that "stupider" is a bad word to use. Google has made us wonder less. Whenever I had to look through a dictionary or an almanac, before we had our home computer, and before I could get to my inquiry, I had stumbled on at least five other words or topics that I thought were interesting enough to stop by and investigate more. Sure, it wasted a little time, but it left me free to wonder. With Google now being used, I have a question, ask it, and it is answered. It takes some of the adventure out of a good question.

I do see where you're coming from, but why does looking for information make us smarter? If one was to look through a dictionary for a word, would it make him smarter than someone who used the Merriam-Webster website?

I don't think that Google is making us stupid nor do I think it's making us smarter. What I agreed with was what was said by Maryanne Wolf that "we tend to become “mere decoders of information.” Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged" (Atlantic). I don't know about any of you, but I find it extremely hard to read anything that is longer than a couple paragraphs. I can't focus, every little thing distracts me and even if I do read I don't read deeply. Maybe this is my own fault, but Google does not make it easier to fix this problem. We are constantly skimming articles, skipping from site to site. Our attention span has shortened and we've become just straight lazy. I do think that Google can be useful. We can use it to research anything we want. You can learn so many things with just a click of a button. Google is a fast, easy source of information which is nice, but if we aren't careful with how we use it then Google will make us "stupid" and even lazier than we already are.

I agree with this, you must think that Google is a business. They want to bring you the highest paying and most popular links first, whether they are right or wrong.

I agree with you that Google is just an easy, smarter way to do homework. With just a few clicks you can look up a homework problem and have the answer right away. However, I do think it can be useful, like you said the How to for papers, interviews, etc. It is also a great way to learn new things, keep updated on world news, look up definitions, etc.

I agree with you that Google is making us lazier. We go straight to Google when we have a question. We don't think for ourselves, we just Google whatever question we have. Also, we do have to be careful with what information we use from Google. Not every site has the right answers and is credible.

Just because a student may choose to look something up on wikipedia rather than a credible source, does not prove that Google is making us dumb. There are plenty of credible sources on the internet that have valuable information that will make us smarter. Google is not making us stupid, we simply need to better understand how to use Google in order to benefit from it.

Google is not making us smart or stupid. Google is a fast, efficient resource for factual information. However, at the same time it may lead us to sources that are not entirely accurate, like Wikipedia. Google gives us all most all of the factual information we could ever need, but in order to access it we have to look in the right place. There are good sources for information on the internet, and then there are bad sources. Depending on how a person uses Google determines whether or not it will make the person smarter or "stupider." Google does not affect each person the same way, therefore there is no way to say for sure whether it is a good, or bad thing. Google does one thing for sure, and that is change the way that we think. What Google takes away from us is our ability to think deeply and be undistracted, but at the same time, it gives us the ability to find any information just as fast as we can type. Each generation has a different way of thinking and operating. Our generation will be the one that is able to multitask but less able to read through a 20-page article, and that is neither good, nor bad; it is just different from what we are used to.

In modern technologically advanced society, I do not think the Internet and the most famous website known to man, Google, is making us less intelligent at all. In an attempt to locate information that is required to go about our daily responsibilities, several of us refer to Google as an aid to find desired material quickly. The readings done online are equivalent to the readings done while looking through an encyclopedia. If anything, there is more to read on the internet than in the encyclopedia about a certain topic. Individuals are gathering knowledge through the Internet, but extraneous facilities, such as other sites and popups, cause people to be distracted. These distractions often are those that are less educational and more commercial. Internet is not making us stupider, but rather it serves as test of focus for individuals using it. For those students and users who can rein their focus, it is easy for them to focus on articles online and readings offline. Some people can be distracted repetitively by the pills to get skinny on the side of the screen, resulting in them losing prolonged focus overtime. Internet and Google serve as testers of their users focus and the individual that have control of their focus are the ones that intellectually benefit from them.

Maybe stupid and lazy is going a little far. Just like textbooks do, Google serves as a medium for its users. Only difference is that Google is quicker and has a greater variety of knowledge
than one single textbook.

i agree with basically everything you've said. Google just gives you the answers for free without making you work for it, which i guess can make people, but it really doesn't make people think harder. instead of pondering for their own answers to some questions and learning to think for themselves, they limit themselves to the answers they can find on Google.

Nicholas Carr's explanation of why Google is "making us stupid" truly forced me to realize just how rare it is for the average teenager to thoroughly read and analyze any type of text without being required to. Because of this realization, I have decided that I do believe that the Internet is setting the human race back. I think that the Internet has allowed the world to move forward in several ways, but more importantly, it has been the main reason for the current generation's lack of compassion. Although I could take the standpoint that Google makes us "stupid" because we do not think for ourselves, I would rather say that it is more that we do not act for ourselves anymore. Humans have begun to rely on information that has already been discovered, words that have already been spoken, and stands that have already been taken. Creativity has become a rare gem that is limited to those who choose to look up from the computer screen and at the world instead. Most importantly, the Internet has taken away experience from the human race. Instead of going to the library, funneling through stacks of books, and deciding which is best, we Google the topics we intend to research. Rather than experiencing a music store, thumbing through dozens of records, we download it with the click of a button. The more common the Internet becomes, the more unusual human interaction is. With a lack of human interaction comes a lack of consideration for our world and those in it. It seems that Google and other types of technology are changing us as a culture, and unfortunately, it is not for the better.

Google was created as a way to bring convenience to those seeking quick information. It is a search engine connected to an abundance of databases all there with the click of a button. Some may say this is making us "stupider" due to the lack of brain power it takes to find answers. People are diminishing brain capability by giving in to the quick and easy methods of technology. Attention spans are shortening as a consequence of consistent lack of critical thinking. The presence of google omits the need for one to go to library and research. It's understandable how people could conclude that. Google in itself is killing the brain cells of our generation. However, indivuals are disregarding the fact that it is also the method by which many new age brainiacs conduct research. There is still good in google. Google has facts and information that if properly retained, can contribute to the knowledge of mankind. Therefore, Google is not making is "stupider" people are using it wrong.

I agree. Google provides "How to's" to society, therefore expanding knowledge throughout the web and to every viewer/reader it reaches. People learn from google. Google is the 3 month hockey lesson in 30 minutes. It simply allows individuals to solve their problems at a faster pace and gain quick knowledge.

I agree. Google is very obviously making us lazy and furthermore, less intelligent. We rely so much on technology that we have no need to use our brains as actively as we used to. It has simply become the norm for a computer to do everyday tasks for us. 'Google' is honestly only harming us in the long run because it is so often abused.

I agree. People often abuse Google, and do not take the work out to help themselves by extending their personal knowledge. Obviously it is easier to look up a resource online than to go to a library and read a book, but that is not helping us as humans extend our intelligence. Therefore, Google is making us 'stupid'.

To answer the original question at hand, yes, Google is making us 'stupid'. It is simply an alternative to making both your body and brain work for information. Since reading both articles, I have become hyper-aware of the way that this effects my life. While doing this assignment, I have skimmed multiple sections of both articles, became heavily distracted by outside technology, and used the internet to spell words for me. I just limited myself. Instead of taking the time out to actually spell the word the correct way, I relied on the computer to do it for me. I did it subconsciously the first few times, before I actually realized what I was doing. Technology takes over your life in ways that are so regular that the norm becomes that technology starts doing tasks you should be able to do by yourself. In a few years, who knows, maybe it will be completely normal to see robots walking dogs down the street, or cars driving themselves so you don't have to. Is that really where we want our society to be headed? Because I for one, never wanted to be in a world where technology controls man, and not the other way around.

I feel like goggle is making us less intelligent. It lowers our ability to focus on a single subject for a long period of time. Yes, it may give us easier access to information, but what good is this if we won't read it.

I strongly agree with not using the term "stupid". A lot of people have become very dependent on the first answer they're given whether it be right or not.

In my opinion, I think that Google is doing both. It helps us look up anything that we want, so if we want to learn random facts about things, we can look them up, and that helps us become smarter. But at the same time, a lot of kids use it as a shortcut for things like school, while you should be finding things out by yourself, or already know how to do them/what to do, and in that, we become less smart, because people don't feel the need to remember or memorize things as much as they would if they didn't have Google.