Rahat Ahmed
Professor Ellis
English 1101
11/26/15
Advanced Technology
On September 4, 1998 one of the most advanced technology called Google was created in Menlo Park, California. Google has been very convenient and accommodating in many ways. For one, in a way Google has helped many with spelling difficult words. . Google maps has helped many people save valuable time. Overall Google has made a lot of peoples lives easier because of its advanced technology.
For starters, Google’s advanced technology has made things more convenient and accommodating. Google Latitude, for example is one of the most imposing but a very helpful GPS tracker that I have seen on certain smart phones. Google Latitude shows where you are on a map to whoever you allow to see it. My mom is a very loving women but at times she can be very strict as well. My mom gets very worried every time I come home late, which is very often so one day she told me to download Google Latitude so that she can track me at all given times. My mom simply loves the app and it has certainly made her life much easier because Google Latitude shows her where I am at all times.

Another reason, Google has been very helpful in terms of spelling big words and overall grasping knowledge. Not only that but it can help one improve on their out knowledge. Based on research from entrepreneur Neil Patel, Google generally does help people improve their basic out knowledge. For example, say someone asks you “Do you know where New Zealand is located? You might not know but with the touch of a button you can easily search it up on Google and it will tell you exactly where New Zealand is located. Another good example is, lets say you have a big spelling bee coming up soon and you want prepare yourself for any big word that comes your way, you can easily go to Google and type In some big words that you think might be on the list. Google is a great website to study for any possible thing, I’m really not surprised to see how easy life can be with Google by your side. Not only is Google convenient in terms of helping grasp out knowledge but it also can help people save valuable time.

Google maps for example, is an application created by Google to save valuable time and make things more convenient overall. For example it can help you avoid traffic. I personally love Google Maps because ever since I got a car its all I have been using to get to my destinations and it’s a life saver. You can never go wrong with using Google Maps especially when your on a long drive simply because as your driving the app alerts you every time there’s an accident on your route so that you can avoid it and take a faster route. I remember this one time I was on my way to Syracuse and my phone lost its signal, I didn’t panic at all because I knew since I already have Google Maps out on my phone it will still give me directions and help me reach my destination on time.
Although some people might argue that Google reduces our intelligence or impairs our memory, I completely disagree. For starters there has been research done and it shows how Google has effected the human brain in a good way . According to my research , “The advent of the Internet, with sophisticated algorithmic search engines, has made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger, the report says. No longer do we have to make costly efforts to find the things we want” this quote clearly shows how convenient Google really is. When you have the tools at your disposal why not use it to its full potential?. There will always be people that might disagree with you on certain topics but that shouldn’t affect you in any sort of way.

I interviewed one of my peers named “Rafi and I asked him a few questions related to this topic. I asked him questions such as “How do you feel about the modern day technologies such as Google?. He replied saying “ well for me personally its very convenient because I drive Uber for a living and I am always on Google Maps which saves me time and in the real world time is money”. Second question “ What do you think Google would be like in the near future ?. “ I honestly think Google would surpass every other website due it advanced resources such as satellites”. Third question “ If you ever had the chance to work for Google would you take the job or decline it ?. “ Are out of your freaking mind, of course I would take the job, its been a long time dream of mine to become rich and working for Google would literally make my life”.
This particular interview was very interesting. I sat down with my dad and I asked him a few question about the modern day technologies and the first question that I asked him was “ How different would have your life been if you had access to the modern day technologies as you were growing up?. To which my dad replied with a cheeky grin on his face “ I don’t think I would be married to your mother if I had access to Face book”. I couldn’t help but laugh because I know how much my dad really loves my mom. The second question that I asked him was “What did you guys do for fun since you didn’t have access to the Internet growing up?. “Well growing up all I did for fun was hang out with my close friends because nothing beats spending quality time with your loved ones”. As I was interviewing my dad I was thinking to myself, only if our current generation perceived life like my dad did in his youth. The third and last question that I asked my dad was “ Do you think we are being controlled by technologies”. “ Absolutely, I mean lets take you for example every time I see you, you are always on your phone and when ever you’re not on your phone you’re either on you’re laptop are watching television so yea I do think people are controlled by the modern day technologies”.

To sum it all up this particular essay is about how the usage of Google made things and life in general so much easier. In my opinion I believe Google would be way more advanced from 5 to 10 years in the future. Google is already my best friend it makes my life way less complicated and just to imagine how much more advanced it would be in the near future just excites me even more. I have been using Google for about 7 years now and it always surprises me with new apps. For example my two favorite apps from Google is the Google Maps and Google Latitude. These two apps are great in their own ways because one helps me reach my destination whenever I am driving and the other helps my mom keep a track of my where about. I honestly think my life would be totally different for the worse if it wasn’t for Google. I am a huge fan of Google and will always be, Google is the real MVP.

Younis Alsallaj

English 1101

Project #3

As life goes on, people find new things to adapt to. Those new things shape our brain for the future and they become our daily habits. This has nothing to do with the genes passed down, but instead have to do with how we start out as a baby, and what we do from that moment onward as we develop. My topic is about how the Internet has shaped the human brain differently, and how it has molded most of our emotional thoughts, mentality, and behavior. Emotionally, when we are bored, sad, mad, confused, or whatever the case may be, we would turn to Internet to fulfill our hopes to comfort us. Mentally, many people are dependent on the Internet for many things. To some, whenever they need something the Internet is what they would turn to, instead of learning and developing from the environment around them. The Internet changed our behavior pattern, in a way that we would stay home all day and surf the social medias of Facebook, Instagram, or play on their video games online, instead of actually going outside the house to see their friends and interact in a way that is more social.

We have gone from a world of accomplishing tasks that take more movement, to accomplishing those same tasks at the tip of our fingers. Instead of going out shopping and looking around, or going to T-Mobile to pay our phone bill, we can shop online and pay our bills online! We have gone from a world where instead of going outside and interacting with other people of our age and playing sports, we would stay home and play sports games or whatever the case may be. Instead of going to a lounge or a bar to hook up with a girl, some people would even turn to dating sites. This is such a difference in behavior patterns from what we use to do before to survive in this world to what we do now. This makes us as humans lazier, more unsocial, less “experienced”,  and less capable of learning new things. An example of this new behavior pattern that is developing is from an interview with Yousif Alsallaj, “Growing up, I used to play outside with my friends all day long and we would learn new things about each other and the environment around us every day, whereas nowadays I can see the trend is different as kids would rather stay home and play on their iPads, or watch videos.”

Now, I will talk about how emotionally, the internet has led us to be way too comfortable with our lives. Being comfortable isn’t a bad thing, but to turn to technology for that comfort instead of turning to a family member or friend is how it should be done I believe.  These days when people are sad and need something to cheer them up, they would go to an Instagram or Facebook page about sad quotes and for some reason that would make them feel better. When we are bored, why not go to the movie theater or billards with our friends to get rid of that boredom? It is because we have Netflix at home and we have video games to keep us occupied. These emotional patterns definitely shape our mentality, and it will show even more in the generations to come. The Internet is still new, so the damage is not seen yet, but the next generations will show the impact the it has on our abilities and our limits as humans. Jihan Hallaq stated in an interview, “ My little son has a lot of energy, but when I need to calm him down, ill have him sit down on his iPad and watch Youtube, whereas my first few children there wasn’t anything to suck up their energy except taking them outside to play.” This is a perfect example of how the Internet can be a distraction and how it controls our emotional level to a certain degree.

These emotional patterns shape our brains mentally, and it is going to shape the next generations brain even more as they are born with it. So mentally, everyone is dependent on the internet. Be it finding a place to eat, reading a newspaper or article online, needing a question to be answered as soon as possible, everything is right there on your mobile device. Google has so much information and is so reliable, that automatically we gave into it. Google maps, for example, is something many drivers have become dependent on when traveling on the road. According to a source called Intellegence, “internet search activity can provide interesting insight into human behavior.” This basically states that internet search activity helps us with our decisions and our decisions vary from finding a book to read to finding a cool club to go to on the weekends. The Internet holds so much data that almost everything we need or desire is just a search away. To put it short, it is either you are addicted to the Internet or it is just there for you when you need some intel.

The Internet is growing at a rapid pace. With all the information that is already on the Internet, one would think it would stop right? Guess not. The Internet right now is used to create many other new technologies, and as the information is increasing, our minds are taking in that information and soon the world will be very futuristic and all technological, almost like the ones you see in the movies. A few examples are the hoverboard and the apple watch. The hoverboard is something people thought would be seen somewhere in the near future, but look at how fast our technology is growing that it is already here. The apple watch is a watch that is connected to our phones, and something that we can answer phone calls with. 50 years ago does not seem so long ago, but once technology and Internet entered our lives, it grew rapidly and something everyone was a fan of. Just to think that almost 2 to 3 generations ago, people were still using type writers and did not have the privilege of having a smart phone. An example of the Internet growing at a rapid pace, which happened rather recently, “the number of Chrome user tripled to 120 million, from 40 million”(Canberra Times). That was an article back in 2011, so you can imagine the amount of Chrome users as of now.

In conclusion, I believe that the Internet will increase and will have an even bigger impact on our lives. We will see that even more with the next generations to come, as they will be much more knowledgeable with the new technology than we were. I can say myself that I am happy that I wasn’t absorbed into it and I actually had a childhood. My family started using Internet about 5 to 6 years ago, so my family and I aren’t all caught up with it. The Internet is not a bad thing, it is definitely a distraction and an addiction to a degree. I think that parents should at least limit their children to their devices, gaming systems, and so on. For example, I would not buy my child a hoverboard, I would buy him or her a bike. I would encourage my kid to go and play with his or her friend. It’s all about how our mindset is of things and never to get addicted.

Works Cited

• Alsallaj, Yousif. Personal Interview. 5 Dec 2015.
• Hallaq, Jihan. Personal Interview. 5 Dec 2015.
• Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec 2015.
• Canberra Times. Web. 8 Dec 2015

The fact that I am working on the Internet for this project, using search engines such as Google, shows how large of a role digital technologies has on our lives. People are no longer willing to travel to the library, use dictionaries or read any research books for their work, because Google search has made finding information very easy. As a result, Google search has raised our expectations about how easy it should be to find information for learning and remembering. Google search is a web search engine that is owned by Google Inc, which allows people to look up what ever they want by typing in the search box. You are presented with a list of results that are coming from all over the world. Google search is the most used search engine on the World Wide Web, and it handles about three million searches per day. Google has also come out with a new search algorithm, it is a system used to sort through all the information it has when you search and it comes back with answers. Sullivan, Danny states on Search Engine Land, it is called the “hummingbird for it’s fast and precise” characteristics (Sullivan, Danny par. 3). Google Inc came out with this in 2013, the search algorithm basically is used “to sort through billions of web pages and other information it has, in order to return what it believes are the best answers” (Sullivan, Danny par. 2). Google search and similar technologies such as Binge and Yahoo Search are making people lethargic, which is telling our mind and body not to work as hard. Google has expanded in so many ways, such as Google maps, Google talk, and  Google Scholars, therefore many people feels a special comfort for this source.

Google search doesn’t make people stupid, because if we are using Google search as a source of information, we are gaining knowledge on the topic we researched. Therefore this is where the laziness comes in, our brains are now recognizing Google as something to rely on. The brain realizes it does not have to work as hard and it starts to count on search engines such as Google to feed it knowledge because it is always improving. Our brains are adapting to how Google has trained our minds over a period of time, not to remember information, but to remember where to find the information. Our memory systems are not as strong as it was before, knowing there is a computer right by our sides which holds everything we should be holding in our minds. I will discuss how the use of Google search inhibits us from remembering information and gaining knowledge, why others may think otherwise that it helps them to store information in their brain, and why we should not depend on Google in the future but strengthen our mind on our own.

As John Medina states in his book Brain Rules, “working memory is a collection of busy work spaces that allows us to temporarily retain newly acquired information. If we don’t repeat the information, it disappears” (Medina 159). People will feel like they don’t have to think too long on a topic or try to remember it by repeating it because, where is the internet going? Nowhere, it is actually getting better. In Brains Power vs Technology, by Sunshine CoastDaily (Queensland), Michael Nagel said “memory was highly selective and gave the example of an encounter with a barking dog. If you felt threatened by the dog, then that would be how you remembered the situation the next day: as a situation of danger. If not, you might remember it later as just being annoying” (qtd. in “Brains Power vs Technology” Sunshine CoastDaily par. 18).  If it is not an necessity to remember the situation, people do not think that they need to remember the information or repeat it because they just want to get it done and out of the way to move on to the next quest. A lot of the time people don’t think about the consequences on how it affects their memory. In addition to selective memory, Google search is making our brains become shallow over time, it also pulls us away from our close family and friends. At dinner tables, everyone is either on a tablet or starring deeply into a phone screen like they are programed to do so, and it would not feel normal if they had a conversation about each others day. Also our attention span has decreased tremendously, before I could get trapped into a book and read forever, now once I see a long passage I am disinterested quickly. All with the help of Google, everyone is moving fast paced, not wanting to slow it down and take time to cogitate on matters at hand.

Google reduces our intelligence and impairs our memory, in the non-fiction book, The Shallows, Nicholas Carr, discusses how digital technologies like Google search is affecting his brain. “Over the last few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuity, reprogramming the memory” (Carr 5). This is the same feeling my family and I have been experiencing. Our cognitive ability to store information in our minds, has been decreasing tremendously. Our brains are changing rapidly over a short period of time, and it seems that people are not paying attention to that change. Now people are making decisions based on their experience with the use of Google search as apart of their daily life. As an example Carr explains how he feels this when he is reading; “I used to find it easy to immerse myself in a book or a lengthy article” (Carr 5). This was before the growth of digital technology, “Now my concentration starts drift after a page or two” (Carr 5). Considering myself, I feel intense anxiety when I see multiple pages full of information that I have to read for a research project that I have been procrastinating about reading. Whether or not I will find it interesting, knowing that it would take forever to read. Before I was open to reading anything and gaining knowledge, because I knew how smart I would become while reading. Of course, I try to start reading but I automatically switch to thinking about what I want to eat or what I could buy, or what my friends are doing.

In Brains Power vs Technology, by Sunshine CoastDaily (Queensland) “A recent study conducted by psychologists at Columbia University determined that not only has technology changed the way we live our everyday lives, but also the way we think. The study concluded we were less likely to remember information if we knew where to find it” (“Brains Power vs Technology” Sunshine CoastDaily par. 6). We know that we can depend something so “fast and precise” like Google search and it is there when we need to dig into some knowledgable data. Also in Brains Power vs Technology, by Sunshine CoastDaily (Queensland) “University of Sunshine Coast School of Science and Education Associate Professor, Michael Nagel said that despite the study’s conclusion, researchers were still a long way off knowing the full impact of technology on memory, he said it was this factor that would determine if people remembered things rather than how they used Google for example, if we don’t think it is important for us to remember something as it can be easily accessed again, then our brain won’t remember it” (qtd. in “Brains Power vs Technology” Sunshine CoastDaily par. 10). Being that people have so much going on in their lives and so much thoughts going through their mind a day, they count on Google search to store information that they can not take on because their brain has gotten indolent. Just as Clive Thompson stated in The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr, “offloading data onto silicon, we free our own gray matter for more germanely ‘human’ task like brainstorming and daydreaming” (qtd. in Carr 180). We would rather be thinking about something that we have an emotional connection to like our dreams or goals. In which we give the more “complex” matters to Google to do the hard work, we often seek wisdom on a digital screen, rather than have confidence and intelligence in our own minds.

Many people can’t even remember their first time using Google, for example my mother Joanne Bristol said, “I do not remember my first time using google, but it is very helpful looking up words and definitions, sometimes when you need to spell a simple word that you should know from first grade, you just ask Google and it pops up before you even finish spelling it out and it also gives you the definition, if I was to take a big spelling bee right now, I would fail. I also use google maps every time I have to go somewhere and they tell me word for word where I have to go and before we needed to use actual paper maps” (Bristol par. 4). Hearing my mother talk about how she will fail a spelling test concerns me for the next generation. People are wanting to achieve a facile living, and expect Google to make their lives simple. Google is making us not want to work hard, think and accumulate information in our brain, so this will influence us to not want to put our minds to the challenge. In The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr, Kobi Rosenblum who heads the Department of Neurobiology and Ethology at the University of Haifa in Israel states “While an artificial brain absorbs information and immediately saves it in it’s memory, the human brain continues to process information long after it is received, and the quality of memories depends on how the information was processed” (qtd. in Carr 191). He articulates that digital technologies such Google search will consume information but that all it does, there is no insight on whether the material is legit or not.  People will automatically trust what is on Google, but with long term memory we are able to ponder on the information and gain knowledge which pushes us to be more confident in our thoughts. Nicholas Carr then states “Biological memory is alive. Computer memory is not” (Carr 191). We are able to speculate on our thoughts, expanding on what we know, technology can not do this, which restricts it’s information from growing.

Although it is shown that Google search can impede our memory and restrict many from learning, others will agree that the use of Google search can promote learning and augment our memory. According to Internet Live Stats, “Google now processes over 40,000 search queries every second on average which translates to over 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide” (Internet Live Stats par. 1). The search doesn’t stop, and it serves people all over the world with information. These numbers numbers show how important Google is, many people trust what is on Internet and they go to Google for the answers. According to my cousin Kayla St.louis, “I believe that Google search enhances our learning because whatever you don’t know, you could just ask Google, I remember I started using Google in High School. I would research my topic on Google and go back to my teacher and she’ll say the information is correct, thats when I started to rely on Google” (St.louis par. 2). Students gain a lot of information from just researching a project which influences them to begin searching almost everything they encounter. Even if they already researched it in the past, to them it is a place to store what ever they need to know.

The children in the upcoming generation will only know how to use digital technology, According to The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr someone who approves of this is Peter Suderman, who writes for the American Scene, argues that with our more or less permanent connections to the Internet “it’s no longer terribly efficient to use our brains to store information” (qtd. in Carr 181). He believes that memory should point us to places on the web, where we could find the information and it is useless to try and remember material in our head. Also Carr tells readers that Don Tapscott, who is a technology writer says “now that we can look up anything ‘with a click on Google, memorizing long passages or historical fact’ is obsolete and memorization is a waste of time” (qtd, in Carr 181). Basically these two writers have plenty of things going on in their lives and the last thing they need to do is try to store loads of material in their brain. Since digital technology is growing tremendously, becoming flexible, and responsive, people are relying on it more. Griffiths, Thomas L, believes that we should indicate how to “obtain novel models of human memory” (Griffiths, Thomas L 1075). He has done plenty of research like testing people on whether he can predict human performance on a fluency task using PageRank, which is of apart Google search engine. He explains that “Establishing this correspondence is important not just for the hypotheses about human cognition that may result, but as a path toward developing better search engines” (Griffiths, Thomas L 1075). Griffiths believe their is a bright future for Google search and it’s algorithm, by making it better with a number of test. He also believes that human memory research will be able extend the capacities of search engines, hence developing them into something better. The Internet’s search engine such as Google is now apart of our lives, but it is only that friend that we only go to when we need something.

Many don’t realize how using Google Search is altering how we think. The human brain can no longer store loads of knowledge, but instead knows where to find the data. Children in the upcoming generation are looking up to the older people and following what they do. Once they see how much we rely on the Internet for answers, they will do the same. They will soon start to look up to Google for all their injuries instead of going to their parents and talking about it, eventually pulling their relationship apart. Also since Google is advancing with it’s new mobile-friendly ranking algorithm, people are likely to use it more throughout their day. In the future, people should be more open to reading more physical books and actually repeating the information in their mind to help them remember. We can still be able to use Google search, once in a while but only as a supplement and once we gain knowledge on the topic at hand, we should never forget it. When you rely on your thoughts and ponder on what you remember, you build confidence in yourself and your own knowledge instead of relying on others’ technologies.

Work Cited

“Brains Power vs Technology” Sunshine CoastDaily (13 September, 2011): n.p. LexisNexis. Web. 1 December 2015.

Bristol, Joanne. Personal Interview. 24 November. 2015.

Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows. New York: Norton, 2011. Print

Griffiths, Thomas L. “ Google and the Mind: Predicting Fluency with PageRank.” Psychological Science (18 December. 2007): 1069-1076. Academic Search Complete.Web. 1 December 2015.

Internet Live Stats. “Internet Live Stats”. The Official World Wide Web Anniversary Site.Web. 24 November 2015.

Medina, John. Brain Rules. Seattle: Pear Press, 2014. Print

St. Louis, Kayla. Personal Interview. 27 November. 2015.

Sullivan, Danny. “FAQ: All About The New Google ‘Hummingbird’ Algorithm”. Search Engine Land. Web. 28 November 2015.

Social media is an important aspect of our lives in many ways. It keeps us in touch with friends, loved ones, and helps us meet new people. It also helps us make a name for ourselves and show others how creative we can be. A few examples of these sites are Facebook, Twitter, and Dailymotion.However the most impactful site by today’s standards is none other than Youtube. Youtube is a place where anyone can post videos and share them with the world ranging from educational, comedy, or animation. Other individuals have access to these videos at anytime they please and can comment on how they feel about the video they just watched. Youtube can be used for business purposes and for those who become Youtube Partners and Youtube Partners can even make profit from the content they produce. While all of this seems like nothing but positive points about Youtube, it also seems to suffer from many things that negatively affect other social media sites such as Cyber – Bullying, hate comments towards an individual, and discrimination against race, gender, and religion. I assert that Youtube affects the behaviors of many individuals in a negative, cruel way. In this essay, I will perform the following: provide information about Youtube’s effect on an individual, how it could affect the completion of daily tasks, and how it can change someone’s mind frame entirely.

Second, Youtube seems like a harmless little website in which you just watch or upload videos for the world to see but in actuality, many people don’t see harmful it can be to someone’s well being. For instance, young adults who use social media sites such as Youtube are the ones at a bigger risks than most individuals due to the fact that they are exposed to hateful, cruel comments that they don’t want to hear. One quote that supports this claim is, “ Social media data such as weblog contents are more promising sources to gauge the public mood. Despite the diversity of content at an individual level, the aggregate of millions of social media data points may provide a pragmatic representation of public mood”(Won, Par. 3). In other words, today’s media can change the way people see themselves because they will get the feeling that they’re imperfect and hideous. After talking to one of my peers who frequently uses Youtube on a daily basis, he had this to say, “ I don’t feel that people should interact with each other in such a negative way because in the end, they just come as insecure jerks. For example, a young girl named Amanda Todd created a Youtube video before she committed suicide and the viewers in the comment section, rather than respect her memory, they instead said that she deserved to die” (Nazmus, par. 3). In other words, rather than using the comment section for a tool for feedback for the content creator or create decent conversation, people nowadays just use to complain about random things they don’t like or bring down others just to brighten up their own day. Some content creators on Youtube are afraid of doing certain things to diversify their videos because they don’t know how their audience will react to it. It seems that Youtube is slowly becoming a site where viewers just sit down and complain about everything and enjoy oppressing video makers into doing whatever they want them to. Online bullying is never ok in any sense and maybe these few individuals don’t see what their doing but, what they don’t realize how their actions are affecting others in negative ways. I have also seen some of these instances when I go Youtube as a casual user and content creator. Some of things that I’ve been exposed to in recent memory have been controversies involving equality in Gaming, which mostly has to do with GamerGate and radical feminists such as Anita Sarkeesian. But what does this have to do with Cyber – Bullying on Youtube? Well, quite a lot actually. People like Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn act as if they are victims of online bullying but they only do so just to get attention while young teens or adults are actually being attacked for being who they are.

While Cyber – Bullying on social media sites such as Youtube may be hard to avoid, there are many ways to get around the negativity that occurs on the site everyday. For instance, if you are a content creator who isn’t very fond of negative criticism, then maybe disable the comments altogether so you don’t need to be exposed to them. Mean comments usually stem from personal insecurities or for one’s selfish desires for joy. Another option would be just to ignore it, you should know that things other people say about you aren’t true anyway so you should just shake it off and move on with your day. You shouldn’t let it bother you to the point that you fall into a state of depression, which could eventually lead to suicide. But, you can also use Youtube to lighten up your day such as watching some comedy videos or listening to your favorite songs to relax. One quote that also adds on to this is, “YouTube brings benefits to children and teenagers, including enhancing communication, broadening social connections, and learning technical skills” (McBride, Par. 3). This means that Youtube can be used for a lot more than just traditional means that most people take it for. Another benefit of using Youtube is the fact that you could easily spread awareness about serious topics such as Cyber – Bullying so others who may not know about these problems or at least know what to expect when using any social media outlet. Lastly, if you are concerned about the world may think of you as a person, then maybe it would be a good idea to practice good common sense while on the internet. Once you upload a video on the internet, it will be there for a long time so the best thing to do is to consider what you are going to put on Youtube beforehand.

In conclusion, I have argued that Youtube affects the behaviors of many individuals in a negative, cruel way and could even drive someone into depression or even suicide. Even though Youtube contains a large amount of vulgar language that may offend people and make them feel horrible about themselves, I feel that the individuals that use Youtube will eventually learn how to respect each other as users of the site. As human beings, we shouldn’t be so harsh and cruel to each other considering that there is so much violence in today’s world as it is. So many young lives were taken due to the dangers of social media sites such as Youtube and the people who use it. Hopefully, as time passes on, young teens and adults don’t have to worry about Cyber – Bullying and can live comfortable, normal lives and could feel; confident about who they are as a person. In my opinion, Youtube should just be a place where anyone of any race, gender, and religion could enjoy themselves with watching online videos of their own interests.

Works CIted:

Won, Hong-Hee, et al. “Predicting National Suicide Numbers With Social Media Data.” Plos ONE 8.4 (2013): 1-6. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

McBride, Deborah L. “Risks and Benefits of Social Media for Children and Adolescents.” N.p., n.d. Web.

Tanway, Nazmus, Interview. 8 Dec. 2015

Social networks have two primary purposes, one is to make the creators profits, and the second is for communication. While these are social media’s primary purposes, what if there was an additional factor beyond its purposes? One such factor I argue is the effects on a person’s brain. Facebook is a widely used social media site that affects many people. I assert that Facebook is beneficial to the brain because its simplicity helps my generation in so many ways. One of those ways is how we experience emotion.  In this essay, I argue that Facebook influences how we experience emotions. I will discuss how the emotion section of the brain is impacted; why the emotions section should not be affected; and also why Facebook should still be utilized.

One Social Network I can say a majority of the population is guilty of using, is Facebook. Facebook is social network that makes a lot of money from allowing people from all over the world to use it for their needs. Many people may use Facebook for personal uses such as, getting into contact with family members they haven’t seen for a while and/or business reasons to be able to be more interactive with work. It has a lot of beneficial features that separates it from other social networks. For example with Facebook you can make group chats,  business meetings, organize a social gathering, gather information, and even meet new people with its built in features. Choosing to use social networks is a personal decision, because not everyone is the same. One person could thrive off the resources provided by Facebook, such as; Messenger, Group chats, and even video calls. A person could not understand the use of Facebook, but they can also go to the extreme and ruin their own lives. Asides from communication and networking, a lot of people get drawn into using Facebook because they see others (Friends, and family) using it. There are a lot of websites and sources available that will tell you why Facebook is the best option currently.

Social Networking sites like Instagram and Snapchat can affect a person in different ways because each one has their own features. Instagram draws in their audience by portraying pictures and direct messages. Snapchat does the same as Instagram but, focuses on short videos that disappear after Twenty-four hours. Facebook is one of the best social networking sites because; it combines both pictures and videos and also has its own source of communication which is the Facebook Messenger. Out of the three social networks, Facebook has the potential to impact a person’s emotions the most. The way Facebook is calibrated; it allows one person’s emotions to be affected. According to LexisNexis Academic, Vindu Goel says that, “The six new emoji depict various expressions, from an open mouth to express surprise to a scowling red face for anger. The other four emotions are love, laughter, sadness and a supportive cheer”Pg2. These new Facebook emoji’s allows the Audience to articulate their thoughts further. For example, Facebook has the “News Feed” which displays every person’s thoughts out to the world based on their privacy settings. This contributes to the impact on a person’s emotions, because whatever is posted online always has an effect on its audience. For example, if a person posted a graduation picture for everyone to see, his or her goal is to entice the audience and get a positive reaction. When you think of an impact, does it cross your mind on how it can affect your brain? John Medina mentioned in the Wiring chapter of Brain Rules that, “When you learn something, the wiring in your brain changes”86. This validates my point because just seeing a post online can restructure your brain. According to the Academic Search complete, Aviva Rutkin mentioned that, “Digital emotions proved somewhat contagious, too. People were more likely to use positive words in Facebook posts [as if they had been exposed to fewer negative posts throughout the week]” (Rutkin 4). This quote shows that depending on how you use Facebook, the outcome will match your overall emotions. In interview 1, Nenson Cover (Age N/A, Electrician, Date: 11/29/2015) believed that, “When you use a social network like Facebook, you have to keep in mind that whatever you post will affect you and others online. So, if you stay away from negativity it will stay away from you, and that is why I agree that Facebook can affect a person positively.”

Facebook can affect a person’s emotion positively to a great extent, but it still has its downsides that should be taken into high consideration. The emotions should not be affected while indulging on the benefits of social network uses. In the second interview, Shamani Patton (Age 18, Student, Date: 11/25/15) agreed that, Facebook does affect a person emotions negatively because, “If we are sitting behind a computer screen, we are not actually comforting the person. Also, we are in competition with people on social media that we are so engulfed in making our life look perfect to on social media, that instead of actually showing emotion to others.” A lot of people may agree with this counter claim simply because, it points out that when a person’s emotions is affected negatively, one of the best ways of comfort comes from the other person physically. Also, the quote points out other negative emotions besides sadness do play a role such as, envy. When people are in constant debate about appearances or even the judgement of another human, the situation does not always play out well. Being the center of attention on social media may not always be a good thing. One person may argue that, not having a Facebook account makes their life much more peaceful due to no conflict. Another person may also not include themselves with Facebook because it is an emotional addiction. Both points can be agreed with, because college students tend to check Facebook on their phones constantly throughout the day but they do not realize how much emotional stress it can have on the brain.        All these negative perspectives could be agreed upon and be proven through experiment, but they do not supply a reason why Facebook shouldn’t still be used proudly. Shamani Patton proved a valid point in her statement when she said, you can’t comfort a person through a computer screen, but most of the time a person doesn’t need to be comforted because of what happened to them on social media. Although I agree with Shamani Patton, I believe that Facebook is harmless. Facebook is not to blame for any actions, but the person on the opposite end is. It is all about how you use Facebook. Facebook does affect a person positively, because they are the ones in control of Facebook and themselves. Some of its uses are for gain, entertainment, and business, which all have positivity in common. All negative aspects of Facebook could be avoided if you choose to use its resources wisely.

Social Networks may not all have the same factors, but mostly have similar purposes. Facebook is one social network that has an impact on its audience’s minds compared to other social networks. The emotional section of the brain was affected more positively than negatively, due to individuals’ way of using Facebook. Even though a lot of negatives did occur on Facebook, it should still be used. As time goes by, social networks, technology, and the human mind will continue to advance. With new advancements and new solutions, it will be developed to keep social networks balanced. Our future relies on new advances due to the demands of growth of technology. Where will the further development of Facebook lead individuals? Will it continue affecting the way humans deal with situations? Will this still lead to the emotions being affected? We won’t know until we keep experimenting for answers. The positives will be shown but, there will always be a negative remark for the way Facebook is being used. As for If Facebook really affects the brain, the answer is still under construction.

Work Cited

• Cover, Nenson. Personal Interview. 11 Nov 2015
• Patton, Shamani. Personal Interview. 11 Nov 2015
• Rutkin, Aviva. “Even online, emotions can be contagious.” EE: New Scientist. Vol. 222 Issue 2975, p22-22. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Jun. 2014.
• The New York Times, July 1, 2014 Tuesday Late Edition – Final. Pg. D1, 1579 words, JARON LANIER, LENGTH: 874 words, LexisNexis

The usage of online databases have been a great improvement on the efficiency of researching. While online databases make researching things much simpler and gets rid of much of the hassle that physically searching creates, using such tools exclusively can prove to be an immense disadvantage. In multiple areas, reliance on online databases has proved to be somewhat of a hindrance. It is very likely that if any detail in an article on online databases is wrong, the general populace using that will be using incorrect information. While the general populace will not look far into the validity of the information, scholars will in order to be absolutely certain that the information they cite is correct. In addition to having to worry about online research being correct, there is also the issue of not having the online data available at all. A different form of the issue of reliance involves using social media as a form of research/database, settling for a medium that can be rather unreliable and sometimes even horribly inaccurate.

Using online research and databases so often will undoubtedly cause someone to be so reliant that they have a sort of “blind faith” in the accuracy and validity of an article in an online database that they frequently use. One specific example of how this can easily be observed is the widely-used online encyclopedia, aptly named, Wikipedia. Wikipedia is well-known for being one of, if not, the most readily accessible online database with its welcome message being, “Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.” Immediately, the main issue can be identified with the end-part of the welcome message, “… anyone can edit.” The ability to edit content freely and at will is unnerving because research is not reliable using Wikipedia as a source. As a website for research, Wikipedia is not ideal due to the fact that it can be freely edited by quite literally anyone.

Adding on to relying on databases, Randy Foreman, student instructional services librarian at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, has stated that, “… I have increasingly heard students say, ‘We don’t need books! It’s all online. Why are they wasting our time?’” and counters this point by saying that, in this specific case involving law cases, “the online cases just might go missing.” On the Michigan Bar Journal, Foreman states, “Online data can disappear and users will never know.” To add on to this, he also states, “The exclusive reliance on online resources is extra risky now because of the potential for database errors in addition to human error.”

A recent article found in The Guardian, published in 2010, has stated that a US survey revealed that an overwhelming majority of reporters and editors use social media sources for researching their stories as 56% say social media is important for reporting and producing the stories they wrote. However, with 84% most journalists use information delivered via social media rather cautious as they think it is less reliable than information delivered via traditional media. The article also goes on to state that according to the research, journalists are using Google with 61% using Wikipedia. Although these journalists use social media as online research, they have “expressed concerns about a lack of fact-checking or reporting-standards.”

To add on to the argument of over-reliance the Complementary Value of Databases For Discovery of Scholarly Literature: A User Survey Of Online Searching For Publications In Art History states that the “discovery of academic literature through Web search engines challenges the traditional role of specialized research databases. Creation of literature outside academic presses and peer-reviewed publications expands the content for scholarly research within a particular field. The resulting body of literature raises the question of whether scholars prefer the perceived broader access of Web search engines or opt for the precision of field-specific research databases. Surveys of art historians indicate a complementary use of online search tools with a reliance on field-specific research databases to discover authoritative content. Active use of Web search engines and initiatives for open access suggest that research databases will integrate into an evolving Web-based infrastructure that supports discovery and access of scholarly literature.”

The reliance of using online databases has made the general populace too dependent on the efficiency of online researching. Due to this, there are many hindrances that come with the usages of online databases for research. Some examples are the possibilities of using incorrect information that is posted on a database, not having the data available to access at all, and using a completely unreliable medium like social media as a source for online research. Over time however, using online databases for research will become the standard for doing research due to the efficiency and accessibility. Ideally, these issues addressed will become something of the past and may one day be improved upon and databases will have much more data, readily available and highly accurate. That day however, has yet to come.

Works Cited

Foreman, Randy. “The Risk of Exclusive Reliance on Online Research.” Michigan Bar Journal (January 2013) 52-53. PDF file.

“Most journalists use social media such as Twitter and Facebook as a source.” Guardian.com. (February 15, 2010 Monday ): 399 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2015/12/08.

Nemeth, Erik. “Complementary Value Of Databases For Discovery Of Scholarly Literature: A User Survey Of Online Searching For Publications In Art History.” College & Research Libraries 71.3 (2010): 223-235. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

Social media has been around for decades. Media has made lives easier and giving people more knowledge about different places around the world. Before social media people were kind of trap minded because they only knew what was going on around them, but social media is helping people become more open minded.There are many applications, (apps), for social media but some are globally used such as Facebook. Facebook is one of the most popular apps. Facebook was invented by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes in 2004 over a decade ago. “Facebook” a tool which connects people or makes them stay connected. People can use it to communicate from distances and it is free to use. Facebook makes money by giving advertisements to user, and the corporations whose products are been advertised pays Facebook great amount of money. gives the F People use Facebook differently some uses it for communication, while others use it for entertainment. It allows people to communicate with each other, aware people of what’s going on in the world, and helps people become more social. Facebook has made people’s lives better.

Facebook allows people to communicate from different locations in the world. During the interview with my brother Fazal Khaliq, Fazal claims that “Facebook helps a person stay connected to friends and families”, (Khaliq par.7). Facebook is an easy usable application which can be used through both computers and phones. It helps people communicate through messages or/and calls, but mostly people use it to communicate through messages. People can communicate overseas and be connected to friends or families by the use of Facebook which costs nothing. According to Pettijohn T,F, “Others, however, have found support for the idea that social networking sites and the internet have expanded methods of staying socially connected with others and increased relationship closeness and connectedness”, (Pettijohn Par. 7). Facebook helps people keep their relationships for longer and closer.Social media is really helpful for people who leave their countries or hometowns because they can still be connected to their friends from old place. When people keep in contact with others their relationship is most likely to be close does not matter how long they stay away from each other.

Facebook allows people to post videos or pictures of an event which then can be seen by almost all the family and families. During the interview with my father Abdul Shadizai,  Abdul stated that “the good side of Facebook is that it aware people about what’s going on in the world” (Shadizai par.4). Before social media people did not know when a government had taken an action, or genocide was committed, or anything from other countries. Nowadays with the power of social media, people knows almost about all the wars, and by seeing pictures posted by others, people can judge and comment there opinions. Abdul said that, “the videos and photos makes people become more sympathetic toward others and respect their feelings”, (Shadizai. par.11). Abdul made a valid point because by looking at others’ emotional posts makes a person have more sympathy for them. Someone once said “a picture worth thousand words”, pictures posted by others sometimes makes us appreciate our lives and what we have. During the interview with Fazal, he said that “the posts on Facebook really affects a person more than even when we see the same event in real, the music and tone in a video adds more feelings into the event”, (Fazal par. 10). If a person see an event in Facebook he/she is more likely to understand the feelings more than if that person sees it in real life because in Facebook the person who posts, add music or tone which gives more feelings to the video.

People who uses Facebook are more social than people who don’t. According to Pettijohn, “using social media can have positive benefits associated with community engagement”, (Pettijohn par.7). Social media helps a person become a  better communicator. The more people a person talks to the better his/her way of communication gets because when a person talks to more people that person gets to experience new and better ways of communicating which affects that person. By the use of Facebook people became more open minded. According to Pettijohn, “with the expansion of the internet and social  networking sites, more people are using technology to communicate with their friends and family online and maintain these interpersonal connections in novel ways that were not available in previous generations” (pettijon par.6). Unlike previous generations, this generation have the opportunity to communicate with others through phones or computers which can be used from far distances. before people could not communicate with others unless they were talking face-to-face, but now communications are possible from even overseas by the use of social media apps such as Facebook. People who uses Facebook knows better how to keep others’ attention because they have experience by talking to others online.

Some people do not use Facebook because they believe that it has downsides. According to Szekely, “Facebook users should also expect an immediate response when they post something online and that says to me people should be careful with what they post as there are no take-backs once it’s on the site”,(Washington par.6). Sometimes people posts videos or photos which later they regret doing,it is true that a video or even a picture can ruin a person’s life in social media with all kinds of people making comments. There have been many cases in which a post gets a person in trouble not only through all the social media but also in real life. Nowadays after so much experience with Facebook people are smart enough to think multiple times before posting anything. During the interview with Abdul Shadizai, Shadizai said that, “Facebook is affecting teenagers lack their communication skills”, (Shadizai par.9). Abdul believes that Facebook is having negative affect on teens social skills, but it is the other way around. Many studies have been conducted and the results shows that Facebook is improving people’s social skills.

Facebook is helping people in many ways such as communication, entertainment, and making people become more social. Facebook was created in 2004. It is been around for over a decade and it was getting popularity rapidly in the beginning, now it is still popular almost globally. Based on how popular Facebook is, it is most likely to be around for more than 10 or 15 more years. Many studies shows that this tool Facebook is having positive effects on people. In the future Facebook will be more appreciated by the current generations because it is improving our social skills, learning skills, and communication skills. The skills we gain from the use of Facebook are crucially needed in job places. Tools like Facebook are always needed because it helps people stay connected, and helps people gain more knowledge about others and events. People nowadays thinks that how hard it have been to communicate with others in old times before social media but it was not hard because they never had experience with it. Living without social media would be hard because people now are so used to it and always wants to stay connected to friends and know what is going on in this world. With all experiences of people with Facebook and all the studies it has been proven that Facebook is improving people’ staying connected to others and their social skills.

Citations

Fazal, Khaliq. Personal interview. 29 Nov.2015

Pettijohn, Terry F., Kimberly E. LaPiene, and Amanda L. Horting. “Relationships Between Facebook Intensity, Friendship Contingent Self-Esteem, And Personality In U.S. College Students.” Cyberpsychology 6.1 (2012): 1-7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

Shadizai,Fazal. Personal interview. 26 Nov.2015

“Washington: Unable to Suspend Non-Students, University of Tulsa Settles for Hiding Facebook Posts.” US Official News. (February 18, 2015 Wednesday ): 615 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2015/12/08.

The relationship between technology and the human brain have expanded throughout time. Cell phones are an example of improvement to the human brain because of the amount of brain activity being used. Having cell phones help brain activity by bringing our attention to what we use it for; this helped enhance research in schools, transportation and work. The majority of people in our generation who have phones could cause others to feel a variety of emotions. In classrooms, if we do not understand a topic, we could pull out our phones and search ideas up. Many forms of transportation has created apps to help their customers manage their time or prices to help them travel. Lastly, the work field has also reinforce technology to help communicate with employees, managers as well as customers.

Nowadays in our classrooms, we are expected to have an email address in order to receive either news from our teachers or from the school itself. Since technology has been expanding, cell phones are the one electronic we carry on a daily basis. Because of this, we are able to do research in class using the phone’s Internet. According to the newspaper article on LexisNexis, Cellphones in schools: Toys or Tools? Principals say they can be both, which explains varying rules on their use, it has been stated that “Parents and kids rely on it for communication. Some use it as their clock, camera, planner, entertainment system, news source and encyclopedia. The phone is only a tiny component of this high-tech palm-sized computer. Which is why schools eventually will be forced to rethink cell-phone rules.” Schools are now changing the way the rules are set up because of new advance technology as well as the idea of having a cell phone with you at all times helps both child and parent to keep in contact for emergencies or other purposes. Since child and parent aren’t with each other during these hours, parents would want to know where their kids could be or how their kid is doing without them. For the child, they could be in a position where fear could happen and need to call for an emergency; this goes for anyone who is in need for an emergency depending on the issue. Books and textbooks are now evolving into ebooks and PDFs which also could be used during school hours if a student can’t purchase the printed version. Due to this new way of reading, schools are bound to use electronics in their lessons. Our attention is usually focused upon our phones so if books are now online, we start to read more which can help us build up our learning. Also communication has become stronger since we are able to give any form of communication such as a number, social media site or an email to our classmates either for help or for what the homework was if you missed class.

Trying to get to one place to another in the city can become difficult so we usually take either the bus, train or car. Since trains can unawarely become delayed or if you are running late and need to know when to catch the bus, there are now apps for these things. Many other transportation systems also have apps such as Ubers, Taxis and airplanes on when they arrive as well as how much they pay. Cell phones help us know right there what to do when a train is postponed by looking for the nearest train available; same goes for buses. An interview with Destiny Perez has had her share in use of her cell phone and feels it depends on how we use our phones for transportation use. “They are useful because it could be used for emergencies such as what if you get lost and need someone to help or use it to help get directions,” Many teens/ young adults face these issues the majority of the time they need to travel to school or work. In order to get to school/work, we need to think and memorize frequently. We first need to think about time, what I mean is that we need to first ponder about how long will it take to reach our destination. Will there be delays? How long do I have to wait for the [insert transportation system] to get to this street? What if I am late? Well, this is where memorization comes in. We need to look at our phones then go to Google maps and figure out the approximate time. After that, our brain starts to rethink over and over what we researched and try haptic visualization.

Although transportation has its pros, there are cons to the use of phone on this. “The fact if someone is driving its not useful to use it [cell phones] while driving because that will distract them and it could lead to an accident.” (Perez 8) Using cell phones while we are in control of the type of transportation system such as driving, riding a bike, etc. can obviously cause some sort of mishap. Sometimes apps or websites on our phones can have malfunctions and can cause us to struggle finding an alternative to our destinations. Our attention is focused on our phones occasionally that we don’t look around us and never know if we are in danger by waiting for the bus, train or just crossing the street. “The people who are more willing to frequently engage in cellphone use are higher-risk drivers, independent of the phone. It’s not just a subtle difference with those willing to pick up the phone. This is a big difference.” (Rick 2) This demonstrates the idea of multitasking which can lead to many catastrophes. Lastly cell phones can cause us to be late to school or work by giving us wrong directions to where we need to go if we find another way to reach our location.

The work field are now requiring cell phones in order to be able to work because “technology today makes us have it mandatory.” (Gil 6) Since technology is advancing through our time, cell phones have also been starting to be apart of our daily lives. Marisol Gil has a mixed feeling about cell phones being a distraction in her work field, she says “It is actually a distraction when people allow it to be.” This meaning that phones can be useful at work, but it’s our choice to use it wisely or not get anything done. Although she says this, she feels cellphones “make us more savvy, which means it makes us more alert and aware.” Having a cellphone in the work field helps us with new ideas of how to communicate with customers, managers and employees. Depending on where you work, cellphones could be used differently for instance, working in retail. There are cellphones that have new ways to pay for your items as well as fast food areas. Many customers use a new technique of paying for their purchases by using their phones to help. There are now these devices you can install on your phone called the “card reader” which helps customers pay on their phone if you are doing online shopping.

   These electronic devices might progress overtime if we let it to be. Maybe in the further future a new device might overthrow cell phones and our brains will start to adjust to that device. Our brains will become stronger due to the amount of attention we start producing towards our phones and using it in our daily lives.

                                                      Work Cited

• Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska), August 31, 2009 Monday Correction Appended, THE (402); Pg. D1, 1579 words, ERIN ANDERSEN Lincoln Journal Star

• Nelson, Rick. “Drivers, Cell Phones, And Smart Cars.” EE: Evaluation Engineering 51.10 (2012): 4. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
• Perez, Destiny. Personal Interview. 24 Nov 2015
• Gil, Marisol. Personal Interview. 27. Nov  2015

Nowshad Hossain

English Composition 1

Prof. Jason Ellis

Google v. Nicholas Carr

Recently, I have just read an article from the atlantic.com. It is called “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by  Nicholas Carr. Nicholas Carr argues that the Internet(Google) is changing the way we think and work. But this change is  not a good thing. According to Carr the Internet is making us stupid and distracted. I have to  politely disagree with Carr’s opinion here. Although the Internet is changing us, I believe it’s for the best. Because first of all, the Internet has become a great medium of education, Secondly, it is a great way to communicate with friends and family, Finally, even though Mr. Carr does not feel comfortable with modern technologies( In this case the internet) it doesn’t mean everyone else would have to support/agree with him. In this essay I will talk more about these topics and write the reasons why the Internet is beneficial to us in depth.

To begin, Carr’s whole argument that the internet is making us stupid can easily refuted when looking at the resources available to us now. We have Wikipedia, Online School and Library Databases, even college course all being served on the web. It is all in one and easy to access by everyone. According to a news article from “People’s Review Weekly” by Sagun Dhungana, “Google Apps for Education and this system is being adopted by more than 20 million educators and students worldwide” (Dhungana Par.2). Different Google based website and apps are being used for educational purposes everyday and by everyone. But Nicholas Carr describe this as, “the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self—evolving under the pressure of information overload and the technology of the “instantly available.” “(Carr Par.31). Here Carr confuses availability with overload. What he failed to realize is that although the Internet has an endless amount of information, the user doesn’t necessarily try to access all of it.  Rather, just like when reading traditionally, we gravitate towards what we are interested in and what is useful to us. One great example of that is “Google Scholar “. According to an article called “Beyond Googling” by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, ” It(Google Scholar ) is an excellent choice for high school and college students as it accesses professional journals, books, reports, and other scholarly works. In the case of the Triangle fire, many of the links explore the effect of the disaster on future labor laws and safety regulations. When studying a topic such as endangered species, scientific journals would be listed.” (Lamb Par.3). This quote sums up that Google does not overwhelm us with information, but it rather gives us information in selective manner and topic wise. This proves although Google may have changed the way we read/study it doesn’t necessarily mean it makes us stupid by overwhelming us.

Another blessing the Internet has brought upon  us is the ability to communicate across worldwide without leaving our homes. After doing an interview with my mom( My mom is forty eight year old) who is not the biggest fan of technology said, she loves the fact that Internet allows her to communicate with her family members who are not living in US. Another interview with Ryan Tahal (A student) I have learned how much the Internet can be useful for  students. Ryan said , ” To me the Internet is like a blessing! Two years ago, I went to Guyana for 2 weeks because of a family issue. But during that time I haven’t missed any of my lessons. I was able to Skype with my friends who helped me learn what they did in the class that day!”. This interviews prove that people of all ages can use internet to communicate for their own benefit. On different Google based sites such as: Google Hangout, Facebook, Twitter people from all over the world can read about a certain topic and discuss about them with the rest of the world, not just with other people in their area, but with people who are actually being affected by the issue. Where before the internet, it would be impossible to see victim’s photos of the aftermath of a war or a natural disaster; Now people can see the affected area and are putting their own pictures up on the social medias and share with the rest of the world. This is something that Carr fails to mention in his article. It is undeniable that the cultural experiences are a part of our education.  How can something that makes this experience so available be making us stupid?

Finally, my whole argument comes from someone who has used Internet for most of his life(Me).  Carr mentions Socrates in both his article (Is Google Making Us Stupid?)  and book( The Shallows). More than 2,000 years ago, a Greek philosopher named “Socrates” complained that the new technology of “writing” will create forgetfulness in the learner’s soul.  Because they will not use their memories like traditional way. So he advised everyone to  only memorize something and never write it down. Today we all know how that went. Internet is the new technology. The Internet contains the world’s best writing, images, and ideas; Google lets us find the relevant pieces instantly.  Perhaps for someone of the older generation, the Internet is too vast to handle properly.  Someone’s brain may not be able to handle it and is having a hard time dealing with the overload of information available.  For someone of the my generation and younger, the internet has mostly always been there.  Our brains do not have to change for the internet, we developed with it.  As such, it may be the case that the younger generation is better capable of using the Internet properly.  We may not get lost in a sea of hyperlinks! and losing our way as we wander from subject to subject.  From personal experience, I have always been able to find the information I need and use it to my liking.  Carr believes that the internet would not allow the “intellectual vibrations” that the printed word would. It’s really a matter of focus and perspective.  It’s about using the internet responsibly and not becoming overwhelmed.

As we know nothing in this world is perfect . Google is not perfect either. Once you are on Google you are on Internet. And internet has everything to offer that you might have ever wanted.  So sometimes it is easy to get sidetracked. A quote from Nicholas Carr should explain this theory . Nicholas Carr said “The Net bombards us with messages and other bits of data, and every one of those interruptions breaks our train of thought.”  What Nicholas Carr  is trying  to say is, sometimes people gets so overwhelmed  on the internet that they can not find the information that they came for and ends up wasting hours after hours in Internet . You can be doing homework but you take a trip to Google, next thing you know you are on Facebook then later on YouTube. Now you’re so far away from what you were just doing. You might waste hours surfing the web, when all you came for was for an answer to a question you didn’t know. Well I wouldn’t say that I completely disagree with  Nicholas Carr but I think he is not  seeing things the right way. That is way he used Science fiction movie(2001: A Space Odyssey) reference in his article instead of putting more real evidence. When you use something too much or unnecessarily it could harm you. One example of that is water intoxication. We all know water is life but when you drink too much water at once it can kill you. So no one should be using so much internet in first place. In end of the day, no one is forcing any one to use Google. So people who think that Google is making you stupid then don’t use internet, it’s very simple !

In conclusion,  I would like to say Mr. Carr without a doubt a great author and he is definitely better qualified than  me to write about any topic( Almost any topic). But there is one difference between us, which pushes me higher than him in matter of perspective. Which is the generation/ age gap(Nicholas Carr is lot older than me). I am not trying to say that he is a old cave man but he is definitely afraid of changing . Beside that he is only focused on one topic. That is the Internet is changing the way we read book and how is that effecting our brain . He is so focused on that single issue that he fails to see all the other benefits of internet which I have talked about previously. In this essay I have talked about how the internet has become a great medium of education.  Secondly, it’s a great medium for communicating with friends and family. And finally Nicholas Carr may be incorrect. I believe internet is the next evolution in human history!  It would change us or at least would change the way we think but it would possibly not a bad thing!

Works cited

Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 01 July 2008. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

Dhungana, Sagun. “Educate with Google.” People’s Review Weekly. N.p., 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

DiLonardo, Mary. “When You Drink Too Much Water Too Fast, What Can Happen?” WebMD. WebMD, 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

Hossain, Salina. Personal interview. 22 Nov. 2015.

Lamb, Annette, and Larry Johnson. “Beyond Googling: Applying Google Tools To Inquiry-Based Learning.” Teacher Librarian 37.4 (2010): 83-86. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

Tahal, Ryan. Personal interview. 21 Nov. 2015.

For today’s class, you read Carr’s The Shallows, Nine and a digression. What was his argument in chapter nine, and how does it fit into the overall argument of the book? How persuasive do you find his argument now that we are almost at the end of the book?