Changing the way we think

I could see a gray area between my position on the article and Nick Carr’s beliefs. I do believe that the internet has changed the way I think, but in my experience, it has been more positive. I have learned how to find answers easier than before. For example, when I search on Google, I have to dumb down what I am looking for. For example, I saw a movie and thought one of the supporting characters looked vaguely familiar (I thought her hair was blonde and it was brunette in this movie), and I want to see what other movies she has played a blonde in. I would first probably search the movie I just saw (since I don’t know her name), then find the character, then find the actress’s name, then Google the actress’s real name. Google then displays a variety of links that has that particular name inserted somewhere on the page. Now, these links could be from celebrity spottings, to what the actress likes to do in her free time, to what movies the actress has played in. This collection of randomness has made me think when I am looking for an answer. I do not look for the exact answer, but answers “relating to” my answer, or “related links.” This has proven to be a very academically-sound research method, in my personal experience. However, on the down side, like Carr believes, I now become more random in my thought process, and less able to concentrate for very long because (in my opinion) my brain is thinking like Google. My brain is thinking of a million different things relating to the real answer I’m looking for, instead of just whole-heartedly concentrating.


I do think humans are all about convenience. Think of many modern inventions, and you can see that many are just improvements upon past ideas. It can therefore be assumed that humans are going to take the easy, faster route as opposed to the long—er, more in-depth—route. Like the article says, no I would not read a humungous novel in history (something that bores me) that is more like 5,000 books put together, when I can get the main idea with much less (like status updates on Facebook). I do not need to ask my friends how their day was anymore, they just post on their Facebook. Although that seems anti-social or lazy (as in the book scenario), it just saves time and doesn’t waste much effort.