Is Google Making Us Stupid
- Technology
- November 17, 2022
Using Google is a great way to accomplish many tasks, but it might be bad for your brain. Carr’s piece outlined the various ways that the search engine has impacted the human mind. He cited a number of different techniques to demonstrate the point. Among them is the aforementioned Google, and some lesser known ones, like using a gif to get a map, writing a calendar, and making an email.
The search engine’s effects on memory are well known, but its effects on overall intelligence are a little less well understood. For instance, while the internet has a lot of advantages, it can also be a curse, as it changes how we do things and makes the old-fashioned methods of acquiring information obsolete. For example, Google is an example of a company that wants to make information universally available and accessible, and it uses information to sell ads and algorithmize everything from search results to search results themselves.
In a recent study, researchers at UCLA tested 12 people who had never used Google and 12 who had used it for at least an hour in the past. Researchers used functional MRI scanning to track the brain’s electrical activity while the subjects were browsing the Internet. The results showed that the brains of Web savvy users exhibited twice the amount of activity as that of the non-Web savvy group. In addition, they demonstrated increased brain activity in the areas of vision and complex reasoning.
While the Internet’s ability to make us stupid may seem obvious, Carr argues that the technology has a number of other, more subtle, effects. For example, it changes how we think about information and our memory, making it easier for us to sift through the data. Moreover, it changes our reading habits and our cognitive concentration. This is good for business, but bad for our well being.
The aforementioned ‘Is Google Making Us Stupid?’ article in The Atlantic magazine may be the first of its kind, but its claims are not without merit. It may be a small step towards creating a more literate human being, but it also proves that the internet is a cynical marketing tool. As a result, it is a company that has a devoted army of computer scientists and mathematicians, as well as a hefty amount of cash.
The most important thing to take away from this study is that the internet has changed the way people get information, and that they have become overly reliant on the search engine in their daily lives. In addition, the internet has changed the way we read, and has rewired our brains in the process. The Internet has made the world a smaller place, and it has made information easier to find, but it has also made people dumber, and more prone to relying on Google for answers. This may explain why Google’s latest advertising campaign involves a cleverly disguised ad that uses a computer to make a map that users can navigate to get the information they need.