Is Google Making Us Stupid?

*  Do the benefits of the Internet outweigh the costs that come with it?*  Can we afford to not know everything, given that we can search for it instantly and easily?
*  Does the Internet have us on a constant information overload, even when we're not using it, to the point that we can't deeply focus anymore?
*  How is writing changing with the vast information available?
*  Is this the last major technological innovation, short of Artificial Intelligence, that will change the way we think?
*  If the brain is as plastic as researchers think, can the "information skimming" behavior be simply seen as emergent behavior from our interactions with the Internet? Or is it something that has been imposed upon us by the system we're interacting with?

During my read through of Carr's article, I found several similarities between his article and Gopnik's article. I realized both authors drew upon the idea that in each age was a technology that was lauded, and another that was criticized. With the vast amount of information and it's ease of access in society, it's no wonder both authors would suggest that it leads to staccato like reading behavior where one cannot deeply focus on a topic. Both authors cleanly fit within Gopnik's definition of "Never-Betters," but I feel that there is much more to the Internet that we have not yet realized. As much as the Internet can be a distraction and also a great resource for those doing research, I feel there is a lot of untapped potential that we are on the verge of realizing. What exactly? I don't know. If I did, I'd be out there trying to make it happen though. Call it a gut feeling.




Some other notes: It's rather interesting to think about how the Internet changes our thought processes. Sure, with a computer you can stream through massive amounts of information extremely quickly. Now imagine what happens if your computer has two monitors. You can have twice as much information up and it changes how you think once again.

I have two monitors because of the immense boost in productivity I gain when programming, my chosen profession and one of my fields of study. But where there was once one window of information, now there is two. It can get a bit distracting sometimes when I'm goofing off. Especially when you have two windows of StumbleUpon open. Case in point: While I was reading this article on one monitor I got distracted by my blog and started writing this long winded tangent before I had even finished reading the article or writing the actual blog post!