Carr’s article indicates that the internet has changed the way in which we read, think, and speak. That is, “It’s becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV.” It has taught us to value efficiency over, say a close-reading of a novel. It has become a medium through which problems are easily solved through the click of a button. It has made us more “machine” than human. It has made us, in Socrates’ words, “receive a quantity of information without proper instruction”. And that is a great quantity that questions quality. Indeed, the internet — Google, in particular — has become so integrated in our lives that it is now a worry to some.
Yet, also in Carr’s words, “The human brain is almost infinitely malleable.” Can this infinite malleability not be seen as a good thing? To change the way in which we think as time passes and we gain more knowledge? — Instead of getting tied up in traditional ways that may be outdated in the social realm? Are we not getting smarter as an outcome of evolutionary pressures?
While we jump from link to link to search for information, we are not mindless in the task; we are formulating effective search queries, communicating with others through popular questions and phrases so that the algorithm could make them appear on the first results page, sharing new ways in which to think about classic novels, and creating connections between different ideas as a result of being exposed to more readily available material.
Yes, artificial intelligence can be scary, as Carr has put it. However, it nonetheless offers us infinite possibilities; some of which have already been described in the previous paragraphs. I now present to you what you’ve all been waiting for — 42 Ways in Which Google Gives You the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything:
- It finds locations/destinations
- It converts time zones for you
- It organizes/tells you your schedule
- It provides the latest news
- It calculates math problems
- It finds telephone numbers
- It lets you watch videos anytime, anywhere
- It answers widely asked questions
- It helps you think more efficiently
- It helps you think more broadly
- It connects you with others
- It connects you to different ideas
- It’s an archive of internet history
- It finds specific images
- It allows you to make calls
- It tells you the weather
- It lets you collaborate with others
- It lists movies from which to choose
- It gives you reminders
- It helps you navigate
- It provides an email service
- It sources quotes from books
- It sources quotes from movies
- It finds songs by your favourite bands
- It finds books by your favourite author
- It tells you the distance between point A and B
- It introduces you to different recipes
- It shows relevant advertisements
- It gives you gift ideas
- It translates different languages
- It gives you restaurant/hotel recommendations
- It tells you the calories in food and drink
- It times you/acts as a stopwatch
- It helps you find the newest games
- It converts currency
- It checks your flight status
- It tells you when your favourite show is on
- It tells you movie release dates
- It provides you information on companies/organizations
- It curates (fan)clubs
- It converts measurements for you
- It checks your flight status
This list is not exhaustive. What are other ways in which you can use the internet/Google?
