Google-not stupid, just robots

Nicholas Carr’s article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, is more than a little bit disconcerting. I have to admit; I have a tendency to get wrapped up in conspiracy theories and outlandish speculations. I am not one of those people who have a secret bunker in their basement, but I enjoy contemplating the future and what it may hold, for better, but especially for worse. Although the title is eye-catching, I do not think it conveys Carr’s opinion very well. His point is not necessarily that Google is making us stupid; he believes it is changing the way we read and comprehend information. The accessibility and ease of information on the internet is creating a generation of readers that skim rather than immerse themselves in texts. In the golden age of literature, full length novels were hundreds of pages long. Now, it is rare if a text can keep our interest for more than a few pages. I have even noticed this pattern in my own life and reading. I began reading at a very young age. By the time I was in eighth grade, my standardized test scores stated my reading comprehension was equivalent to that of a college sophomore. Until a few years ago, I was an avid reader. It was unusual to see me without a book when I was growing up. Now, I have difficulty focusing on books like I used to. I still enjoy reading, but the books the capture my interest have to be much faster paced. I used to love reading Jane Austen. I still enjoy her works, but it requires a lot of coffee and ‘cell phone breaks’ for me to make it through even a few chapters.
I can relate better to Carr’s article than any of the other articles I have read in this course. The other articles have valid points, but I share some of the same fears as Carr. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a writer, and part of me still clings to that desire to write and be read. The accessibility to an extensive audience found through blogging is an amazing opportunity, but is it worth the cost? Are truly talented authors being drowned in the mayhem of the blogosphere? Another concern of mine is the fine line of individuality. Sullivan argues that blogging is a great way to express individuality, but is it? At first our blogs may sound individual, but what happens when our thoughts and words become a series of hyperlinks to be skimmed over? I agree with Harris’s view of academic writing- it is rewriting what other people have already written. I believe that this concept includes all types of writing. Everything we do, think, and write has some basis in someone else’s ideas. As people become more apt to skim than read and summarize rather than write, what will happen to that sense of individuality that can only be truly expressed through long, eloquent prose?