The effects of our nation's dependency on the Internet cannot only be seen in the baby
boomer generation but, especially, when comparing it to the two generations that follow. The
average student spends more time on their phone or on their computer than socializing or doing
homework. Adults can become engrossed for just as long, if not longer periods of time,
depending on their jobs. Nicholas Carr discusses the negative effects of Google on our brains in
his essay 'Is Google Making us Stupid?'. Carr blames the growing dependency on technology
and the internet for completing basic tasks and research on the ability to use the internet for
almost anything. Children are learning research strategies involving Google and online
databases as opposed to reading books. Instead of sitting down and falling in to a good story or
immersing oneself in a book for research, individuals 'google' whatever information they need to
know and often do not have to read more than a few paragraphs.

The pertinence of this topic can be seen in Carr's examples involving the way his mind
now organizes information. He describes the process saying, 'my mind now expects to take in
information the way the [N]et distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was
a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski'.
Through this example and other similar ones, Carr shows that adults and adolescents of all ages
seem to be having the same problem due to Google, and the internet overall, that will only
worsen with time. Despite this, some examples and correlations to the audience seem to be
show the affects of the internet on individuals of all ages, there is more of a focus on things that
happened in the past as opposed to issues happening with children now. There are not many, if
any, direct correlations to younger individuals, and many of Carr's quotes can only be applied to
the vast array of people and ages he intends depending on their personal experience(s).

Nicholas Carr's 'Is Google Making us Stupid?' was originally published in The Atlantic;
an online and print-based magazine geared towards 'serious national readers'. Carr's argument
is crafted to appeal to the long-term readers of The Atlantic as well as individuals who might just
stumble across the article. The magazine is known for publishing contemporary national issues
and Carr uses this to his advantage to not only form his argument and publish it. He also knows
his argument will be crafted for and easily found by individuals who have an interest in the issue
of technology because they look to magazines and sources such as this to find articles concerning
these issues.

While the audience reading The Atlantic have specific interests, Carr's argument is being
made to individuals who likely already agree with him based on some of the quotes given in the
article he wrote. Also, the vast majority of individuals who could be affected by, or have a
response to, the argument might not ever see it. Despite the magazine typically publishing
articles involving major issues and contemporary political issues, using it as the host of an
argument discussing how individuals only skim what they are reading and looking for the most
information within the shortest paragraph seems flawed. Also, though it is not hypocritical,
many could perceive it to be at first glance. While Carr is discussing the issue of no longer being
able to focus and read through an article or published story, he is writing one about these effects
and expecting individuals to read it. Despite the higher level of thinkers the argument is directly
presented to by publishing it in The Atlantic, the odds of individuals who share Carr's viewpoint
or completely disagree coming across his argument are relatively low.

The entire argument Carr has developed is centered around the seriousness of the issue
and the negative impacts of the beliefs of those in disagreement. 'If we lose those quiet places,
or fill them up with 'content', we will sacrifice something important not only in our selves but in
our culture'. By forming his argument this way, Carr essentially allows for dispute and
counter acts it at the same time. Carr compares the work of Frederick Taylor in the steel plant to
Google. Taylor's improvements in manual labor efficiency are arguably compared to the effect
of Google on an individual's mind. Portraying various examples and giving quotes from other
individuals who have the same view as Carr, and a few from those who do not, allow for endless
types of conversation. Carr's argument can not only be disputed by those who do not agree with
his view of Google, but it can be disputed from multiple standpoints because he offers up
examples himself.

Carr's argument leaves readers wondering what other effects Google could be having on
individuals, especially younger generations who are growing up constantly exposed to it. Carr
describes this internet as '' a machine designed for the efficient and automated collection,
transmission, and manipulation of information, and its legions of programmers are intent on
finding the 'one best method' ' the perfect algorithm ' to carry out every mental movement of
what we've come to describe as 'knowledge work''. The inability to maintain focus
throughout an article or to read a book for research could be due to gradual negative effects on
cognitive aspects of our brain. With the apparent reliance on Google, how do kids stand a
chance at making good grades in school without the constant Internet access they are becoming
so used to? Even though the example is explicitly stated, Carr's comparison of Taylor's effects
to those of Google implies that individuals are no longer, or close to no longer, capable of
understanding and thinking things through logically without the shortcut of Google.

The capabilities and advancement of technology are seemingly never-ending with
companies like Google wanting to make some form of artificial intelligence linked to human
brains. As stated by Carr in his argument, 'In Google's view, information is a kind of
commodity, a utilitarian resource that can be mined and processed with industrial efficiency.
Though movies containing robots or in the Sci-Fi genre overall are growing in popularity,
most individuals would not want to live in a world where they are completely controlled by a
processing chip embedded in the metal that attempts to mirror human appearance. Many
individuals value their freedoms and the rights they are currently awarded. By raising the
possibility of technology advancing to the status of human brains, Carr is taking his argument to
an entirely different level. If Google really is 'making us stupid' and individuals believe in and
value their needs and desires for freedom, someone with an opposing viewpoint could almost
instantly be made to agree with Carr's argument and views.

Carr heavily relies on how he evaluates his argument, how others would evaluate his
argument, and how those who disagree would evaluate his argument to get his message across.
He explains, in detail, how something that was originally so beneficial to society is turning out to
have highly negative effects on individuals in the long run. Though we can read the same
information online as in an article or book, it does not stimulate the human brain the same way;
nor is the information processed in the same way. Carr also relies on the existence of the
growing concern of how far people want technology to go, what he and others are considering
about the effects of Google, and what Google actually is to portray its effects on individual's
ability to read and learn like they used to before the Internet. Conjecture, definition, and quality
serve to make readers understand the importance of the issue at hand as well as Carr's viewpoint
on the issue. Without them, obvious and important aspects of the argument would be lacking
and, therefor, Carr would not have been able to make much of an argument.

