Technology is changing us People have different opinions about technology. Some people believe that the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to technology; while others feel the exact opposite. Nicholas Carr argues in his essay “Is Google Making us stupid,” that people are becoming overly dependent on technology. Carr explains how people are so influenced by technology that they cannot form their own ideas. Gladstone and Neufeld in “The Influencing Machine” believe that people may seem too dependent on technology but that they shouldn't worry about it so much, because in the past the same thing happened with writing and television. I am inclined to agree more with Gladstone and Neufeld; I feel like even though things are changing because of technology, that doesn't necessarily mean that technology is a bad thing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Carr uses many examples to try to show the reader why they should actually fear the Internet. Carr talks about the difficulties he and others began to have while reading. He believes this is due to the formatting and style in which articles are published online. When things are posted online they are short and to the point because they don't want to lose people's attention; Which makes Carr feel like that's why he can't focus on longer writing, like newspaper articles or novels. Another thing highlighted is that people today read differently than people in the past, which can cause people to change the way they think. Carr highlights this fact when he says, “We may well read more today than we read in the 1970s or 1980s, when television was our favorite medium. But it's a different kind of reading, and there's a different kind of thinking behind it, maybe even a new sense of self.” (Carr 318). Some people agree with Carr's point and believe that this type of change in thinking is something that should be feared. Gladstone and Neufeld take this approach to try to explain how people are changing because of technology, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They discuss how people become attached to things like their phones and computers, but that people shouldn't worry because people will change with technology. Carr and other opponents of the technology are noted in their essays and their concerns are taken into account; rather than disagreeing with people, Gladstone and Neifeld agree that technology is shaping minds, but people's minds are shaped when things change. People reacted the same way as Carr to simple technology like writing and television. This may be an overreaction; but every time something substantial comes out, some people act like this. In Gladstone and Neufeld's essay it is mentioned that it may be more difficult for people over the age of 35 to adapt to new technologies, which is why Carr's approach to technology is so skeptical. Over time everyone's minds change due to new inventions and different types of technology, so people should realize that they cannot solve this problem and just go with the general flow of things. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay.
tags