Is Google Making Us Stupid?

As much as anyone in our generation hates to admit that technology has taken over our lives, it is hard to fight the facts. Nicholas Carr’s article Is Google Making Us Stupid? questions the harsh, tech-filled world we are now faced with. Beginning with the fact that hardly anyone anymore can sit down and read a book without ample distraction, Carr offers insight into our brains and their adaptations. I have experienced this syndrome myself—I sit down with a good read, and in seconds my mind wanders to Facebook, Twitter, or, my new favorite, Vine.

Despite the seeming horror or negativity that comes to mind when we start to think of our mind and focus drifting, it does correlate to an explainable phenomenon—evolution. As our brains are being used more and more for “info-snacking” and less and less for deep thought and analysis of lengthy written word, they begin to change by default. I mean, who wants a brain that would overload if it had to jump between topics rapidly? Would we see people’s heads popping open as these less-abled brains came into contact with the world that we live in (i.e. a Facebook page)? It’s an outlandish thought, but I wanted to make my point clear—this is not the catastrophe that some make it out to be, merely an evolutionary skill that our intelligent brains are taking advantage of.

Carr makes it clear that this is not the first time that this has happened either. With inventions like the clock, the computer, the calculator, and even the written word, we saw major changes in the way we thought and the way we lived. We abandoned the “old way” and adapted to a new, better form of living. And with each step, there was always criticism. Even Socrates ridiculed the “technology” of his day, saying that writing things down would make people less inclined to remember information, and more conceited. Yet Carr concedes, “[Socrates] couldn’t forsee the many ways that writing and reading would serve to spread information, spur fresh ideas, and expand human knowledge.”

So maybe Google is not making us stupid, it is simply changing the way we think, and all we have to do is learn how to use our brains correctly. I once had it explained to me as if my attention were light. I had to learn to switch from my mind’s default of a weak floodlight, where my attention was spread thin, to a strong spotlight, with an acute, intense focus. This thought is tandem to Foreman’s idea of “pancake people.” We must learn to consciously make decisions on the way we use our brains to make the most of them.

Like most things, I am privy to believing that education is key. A hot, new show, Brain Games, offers a fun and inventive way to learn about our brains. The show features illusions, deceptions and tricks that you can’t help but fall for because of how our brains are wired. One episode that came to mind while reading Carr’s article was about time and our brains interpretation of it. It shows that despite a systematic clock, time is in fact malleable. Our brains can make time feel faster or slower depending on the experience. Don’t believe me? Check out Brain Game’s website here.

For these reason’s I don’t have the looming fear that Carr depicts in his dark 2001: A Space Odyssey quote. I think that the changes that we are all facing are clearly explainable, and controllable. We are not losing the ability to read a book quietly; we are gaining the ability to skim information with efficiency. Through education and practice, the deep focus glorified in the reading is easily attainable. So I guess the answer to the question is “No, Google is not making us stupid.” Our brains are, and will always be, a force to be reckoned with.