Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The media's responsibilities in democracy
Impact of media on society
Impact of media on society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The media's responsibilities in democracy
The rise of media in our society has many effects on the consumers of the media. Many people propose the question: is this media making us dumber? Today there are a lot more forms of media available to people today. Through the media outlets of television and news, internet and user-generated content, and social media, people have many options as to where they receive their media. As a whole, the mass media dumbs down society, through their attempt to keep up with the changing of times and reach large masses of people. It is up to the consumer of the media what type they want to partake in. How do media compete in such an environment? The only way to compete is to go with it. To become it, and to help it. New forms of mass media is happening, will happen, and will not stop because we are a constantly changing society. The media tries to put a new spin on media that combines older media techniques with a new more advanced form of media that attempts to reach all of society. Even though they are effective at reaching mass crowds of viewers, and reaching people who may not have ever engaged in issues, they dumb down society by limiting the thoroughness of information presented. The dumbing down is usually applied as a derogatory term that refers to the simplifying of a subject towards the lowest common denominator. Americans consume large amounts of media. The average American spends half or their day watching hours of television, or listening to some sort of mass media. According to Shachtman author of The Inarticulate Society: Eloquence and Culture in America, “most Americans watch thirty hours of television a week, or 1,550 hours a year, listen to the radio 1, 160 hours a year, spend 180 hours a year reading some part of a ne... ... middle of paper ... ...al_media_stats_kagan_fisch_mcleod Carr, N. (2008, Jul. - Aug.). Is google making us stupid?. The Atlantic, 1. Retrieved February 14, 2012, from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/ Shachtman, T. (1995). Extracurricular Educators. The inarticulate society: eloquence and culture in America (pp. 95-142). New York: Free Press. Sommerville, C. J. (1999). How the news makes us dumb: the death of wisdom in an information society. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press. Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the squid, the story and science of the reading brain. New York, NY: Harpercollins. YDSTIE, J. (2007, June 16). Does the internet undermine culture? : NPR. NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11131872
Nicholas Carr, a periodic writer on issues such as technology and culture, wrote the article called “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (743) In this, he discusses the way that not only Google, but also the advancement in technology, especially computers and computer engines is slowly altering our brain, along with the way we take in information. The process started back in the 1970’s and 1980’s when technology got a jump in society. For example “television was our medium of choice” says Carr (747). From then on it has been a slow decline for the way we process information. Throughout this essay Carr backs up the reasons why he feels the way by using different types of figurative language, deductive reasoning, plus the use of logical fallacies that can strengthen or may even weaken his argument.
Advancements in technology have strived to make life easier for so many people. In most cases, the advancements have achieved its goal, but in the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr questions if the improvements in society have unintentionally hindered our thought process overall. Carr begins the article by providing personal instances when his concentration seemed to diminish due to the internet. He explains how he now loses interest when reading lengthy portions, his mind just can’t seem to remain connected to his readings. He then proceeds to talk about how today’s life is surrounded by the internet, and explains the pros and cons of it. The negative side of it is that his mind now wonders off when seeking information from
In Nicholas Carr’s, “Is google making us stupid,” Carr indicates a problem that is affecting a majority of the internet users; that being as time we spend on the internet increases, the more we are diminishing our intellectual ability, and losing the ability to become intertwined in a lengthy article or an extended book. Carr states, the technology we are in contact with on a daily basis, has a negative effect on our cognitive ability, and is forcing our brain’s to evolve. Throughout the article, Carr argues the negative effect media, mainly the internet, is having on his capacity and concentration: he effectively argues his point through the uses of many rhetoric appeals, drawing in the reader. His use of logos compares the past and present
In Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” the reader finds all three methods of persuasion, ethos, pathos, and logos in emphasizing his point that Google is possibly making people stupid; but it is ultimately the people who cause their own mental deterioration. His persuasion is a reminder to people of the importance of falling back on the “traditional” ways of reading. He also understands that in skimming an article one has the ability to retain what is necessary. Carr himself points out that in the past he was better able to focus on what he read and retain the information. However, now he exercises the process of browsing and skimming over information, just as many individuals have come to do in this day and age.
In his article, “Is google making us Stoopid?: What the internet is doing to our brains,” Nicholas Carr describes the effects of the internet upon a person’s brain and the impact the web has on deeper level thinking and comprehension of reading. As the advancements of technology continue to transform, the way in which people look at the internet is that of a “passive way of information”. Carr, for instance, emphasizes reading to be the key to everything we do these days. Unfortunately, thanks to the use of the Internet, Carr elaborates upon the information that reading the material found upon the web is changing the way we read, and has tremendous affects to the manner in which we develop higher level thoughts.
His first few paragraphs relate to the audience with a sense of pathos that continues to reappear as the essay unravels. For example, Carr states, “The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle” (2). This anecdote generates the citation of research when he presents developmental psychologist and author, Mary-anne Wolf. Having written Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. “We are how we read.”, wolf proves to be a reliable source, as well as an accurate development in Carr’s theory. She notes, “When we read online, we tend to become mere decoders of information.” (8). That statement opens a window for Carr to expand on his original idea in saying, “Our ability to interpret text, to make rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged.” (8). It’s no secret that Wolf would agree. After just a mere search of her name titles appear such as, The Importance of Deep Reading, Is Online Skimming Hurting Reading comprehension, and How the Internet Is Rewiring Our Brains. If Carr’s theory is in fact correct, it would be fair to assume that most readers would look no further than that for proof. Carr however, omits that Wolf has evolved in her expressions, writing articles such as, Balance Technology and Deep Reading to Create Biliterate Children, Being a Better Online Reader, and Children of the Code. While this doesn’t exactly
If you find yourself skimming through pages, looking for bullet points and your mind wandering off, you might be suffering the effects of Google making you stupid. These are the things that Nicholas Carr talks about in his essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” was originally published in July 2008 in Atlantic magazine. Carr argues that the use of technology on the daily basis has made us unable to go into deeper thought about things. Along with the opinion of Scientists and other “literary types” he asserts that the web has indeed made us change the way we think. Power Browsing is the new way people are reading, this is where you look from title to title, surfing the web from link to link. Overall, he advocates that eventually our brains will
The argument that the web is to blame for making us dumb by Nicholas Carr convinces his audience that they might succumb to becoming braindead due to excessive online clicking. Hopping from link to link never fully understanding the content. While Michael Rosenwald points out that we are slowly molding the brain to only skim and search for key words to put together. With these two programed ways our brains work soon libraries and book stores will cease to exist. Or will they? Clay Shirky challenges this thought by saying that among the cat videos and conspiracy theories there lies true gold within the websites of the internet. The gold consists of scientific journals and a place to discuss anything and everything. A community to share ideas and culture. Has the internet changed your brain for the
Humans have been creating tools that allow us to be do things that would be otherwise impossible since the beginning of our existence. The ability to use and develop new tools is what sets us apart from all other animals. Yet it seems that ever since these tools started being created there were also people that feared these new tools and claimed that they are bad for the human race. The present fear of new technology is illustrated in the essay “Is Google Making us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr. In this essay Carr argues that the internet and other new technologies are changing the way we think in a negative way. Carr claims that new technology is making our generation stupid. In opposition the article “Smarter Than You Think” by Clive Thompson
Have you ever been reading online, and just cannot concentrate? If you have, you're not alone. American Author, Nicholas Carr was a Harvard graduate, who wrote "Is Google making us Stupid." This non-fiction news article informed us about how modern day technology affects our learning or reading. With all this information Carr, explains how google is making us stupid. Nicholas Carr uses Ethos, which is an appeal to authority and credibility. He uses Pathos, which is an appeal to your emotions. He also uses logos, an appeal to logic and reason. Nicholas Carr developed his thesis by including ethos, pathos, and logos.
Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid” and Sherry Turkle’s “How Computers Change the Way We Think” both discuss the influence of technology to their own understanding and perspective. The first work by Nicholas Carr is about the impact technology has on his mind. He is skeptical about the effect it could cause in the long term of it. He gives credible facts and studies done to prove his point. While Sherry Turkle’s work gives a broad idea of the impact of technology has caused through the years. She talks about the advances in technology and how it is changing how people communicate, learn and think. In both works “Is Google Making Us Stupid” and “How Computers Change the Way We Think” the authors present
The following essay will discuss how the ideas in “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, is expressed in the futuristic novel Feed, by M.T Anderson.
Is Google Making Us Stupid? - Magazine - The Atlantic. (n.d.). The Atlantic — News and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international, and life – TheAtlantic.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/
Media is the most powerful sector of an economy. It is a tool to maintain a balanced society which is characterized by well informed people, effective democracy and social justice. In fact, media has unparallel influence on all aspects of human life in modern times.
The history of mass media started with the invention of technology. The moment technology was invented; media has used it as an opportunity to expand to a wider audience. As technology develops it’s just a matter of time before the media becomes involved. There is no limit as to how involved the media will become.