abstract time.

so i got my ass kicked the other day in class for not capitalizing anything. my bad, really. I'm sorry to those of you who were a bit agitated while reading it. Nancy's totally got my back and that's how i felt. this is more of a conversation, so i write it like this. ANY WHO! abstract time.

the article, "is google making us stupid?" by Nicholas Carr his main thesis is that google has not only changed the technological world but it has also changed the way in which we think. His first argument is that the internet compromises our ability to concentrate--that because of the convenience of the internet, we now search for convenience in everything that we do and find it hard to concentrate on mundane tasks, like reading. he uses evidence from the study of the brain to demonstrate that the brain is constantly changing and morphing the existing synapses and making new ones. his next argument states that because of the way technology works, in a system of algorithms, that is the way in which we think. like Frederick Winslow Taylor's system in which he divided the work of an industry into small jobs so that each employer only had to complete a small task. the person doing the job is limited and so are we as users of google because our opportunities of learning are limited. he assumes, however that this applies to everyone--this google epidemic. it's a cultural assumption that everyone has access to a computer and to new technology. his final argument is that although these new technologies have changed the way in which we think, they have not been malevolent and there is a inherent value we gain from them. the outrage over the printing press was outweighed by its benefits and helped the world move towards new technology, as will google.