Nadia R

The digital era has arrived, and is taking the world by storm. The Internet and other technologies have become a vital part of our everyday life. Humanity is changing, and with change there are both critics and advocates.

Nicolas Carr columnist for The Atlantic, published a disputatious article in 2008 named, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” In the article he is skeptical about whether or not the Internet is as useful as it first appears. He writes about how the surplus of use of the Internet has weakened the ability for a person to concentrate. He described how himself and his colleagues have now started to struggle to get through a long piece of literature, while before the Internet became so necessary it came natural to them. Although I agree with Carr up to a point, I cannot agree with his conclusion that the use of the Internet is the only factor that has altered the human mind. In order for someone to read a 500-page book, or concentrate on an assignment without the use of the Internet, they need commitment. The Internet is merely a distraction; people have to learn to avoid that distraction in order to gain their focus back.

Jamais Cascio, also a writer at The Article published apiece called “Get Smarter,” in 2009. His main idea is that the Internet is just another change that people need to adapt to. He believes that the advancement in all technologies will help us become more intelligent as a species, and help us cope with the disasters that may be arising in the coming centuries. I agree with him, the Internet is becoming an integral part of human life, and people need to learn to cope with the distractions it provides and the changes it’s causing worldwide. Humans as a species need to learn to adapt to the world because it will always be changing.

Clay Sharky, journalist at the Wall Street Journal has another opinion for this debate. He wrote an article, “Why Abundance is Good,” as a rebuttal to Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” In my opinion, Skarky’s argument is the most logical. He writes about how we are in the midst of a cultural change due to the advancement of technology and the Internet; he compares this age to the time when Guttenberg invented the printing press. You may not find as many people capable of reading a 1000-page novel in this day and age, but with the developing technologies, sacrifices like this may have to be made. Sharky’s final point is that yes with change comes forfeit but in the end society will benefit, just like when the printing was invented.

We live in a world where new technology is being produced daily. Every minute engineers, and researchers are working to invent new products that will make human life easier. Some humans need to learn to adapt to the changing technology and world, because from here on the digital age has taken over.