- Ultimately, is the Internet bettering or worsening our world?
- What is it exactly about the Internet that changes the way we think?
- How can we continue to use the Internet without letting it negatively affect us?
Although the article we read was, in a sense, one big question, I put down this article with many more answers than questions. In recent years I've experienced a lack of memory and attention, but had never attributed these symptoms to my Internet usage. Although I've read plenty of detrimental news snippets about the effects of the Internet on our generation, I had never heard anything about it negating our ability to focus on long pieces of writing. I related particularly to the article when one researcher was quoted saying that anything longer than three to four paragraphs was too much for him to read, even in a blog post, and he had learned to just skim it. I too have found it increasingly difficult to focus on long pieces of writing; I maintain a Tumblr, which is an online blog, and when other people post long text posts, I hardly ever take the time to read through them. Instead, I skim every other sentence to get the gist of what the author is saying. In fact, even when I was reading through this article, I felt my eyes glazing over the words. To keep myself focused, I had to go back and re-read certain paragraphs two or three times before I could fully absorb the information.
I was also fascinated by the idea that Google is looking to introduce artificial intelligence units into our world. Although artificial intelligence is a subject that has been frequently talked about over the years, it's fascinating and, admittedly, a little nerve-wracking to know that Google is focusing in on this subject. Because let's be honest, if anyone is going to crack the code on artificial intelligence, it'll be the Google team, who seem to be able to do just anything. However, the author worries over the idea of a supercomputer being wired through our brains, and I have to admit that I do too. What will become of our society when everyone is equipped with more knowledge than they know what to do with?
Overall, I found the article to be an interesting read. But what I find most interesting of all is that even if all the people in the world read this article, the Internet will never become a thing of the past. As detrimental as it may be to certain parts of our health, the vast array of knowledge the Internet is able to swiftly and easily provide for us is well worth having to give some other things up.
