Is Google Making Us Stupid?
I thought that the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” raised a number of interesting points. I have personally experience the phenomena that the author described of spending most of my reading time skimming and seeking information rather than deeply reading a single source. Unlike the author, I am not convinced that this is always a bad thing. Before the Internet it was much more difficult to gain exposure to such a broad amount of information. When people only had access to a few books at a time and information was typically recorded in the form of lengthy books and articles it was both easier and more important to read written texts cover to cover. Today, both the medium and the content of written information has changed. Although readers today spend less time reading each article, they are able to gain a much wider exposure to different types and sources of information. Also, articles have changed to better suit this reading style by concisely conveying information. This allows readers to gain exposure wider variety of perspectives on a larger amount of information faster, which can help accelerate learning. While it is true that something is lost when readers don’t take the time to fully delve into a topic, something is also gained when readers are able to expose themselves to more faster. I also agree with the authors observation that the medium that is use to write, whether it is a pen and paper or a computer keyboard, effect how you express your thoughts. I have found that my language and writing style vary depending on if I am, texting on my phone, typing on my computer keyboard, or writing using a pen and paper.