After reading this article, I would not necessarily say that the Internet is making us stupid in the traditional sense of the word. However, I would have to agree with Carr in saying that the Internet has definitely affected our ability to think and comprehend “deeply”. Personally, I know that I do the exact same thing that Carr talks about when he is describing Internet users as “Pancake People”. I quickly scan through articles, e-mails, and social networking posts looking for headlines and excerpts that catch my attention. As a child when I would go to the bookstore and buy a couple of new books, I would almost assuredly have at least one of them read cover-to-cover by the end of that day. Once I entered high school and my use of the Internet soared, I stopped reading recreationally all together. Even for required books that I had to read for assignments, I would scan the books and when it came time to write a report I would reference online summaries. In the article, the quotes that Carr includes from scholars and literary experts mirror how I feel regarding reading printed text and books. Reading a book does not provide a concise transmission of the data or information that I seek to acquire. Despite how beneficial The Internet can be, I would have to say that “Googling” every term, phrase, or question that the entire human race, myself included, needs to know has “dumbed down” people as a whole.
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