"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

The article "Is Google Making Us Stupid," by Nicholas Carr is about one person's story telling how using Google has affected his ability to think (Atlantic Magazine, July/August 2008). The person says that he has lost his ability to concentrate when he is required to read a lot. He spends a lot of time on the internet researching or simply surfing the web. Most of the information in his mind has come from the internet. He asked all his friends if they were experiencing the same difficulties has he is and finds that they are struggling just as bad when it can to trying to concentrate on reading. He has noticed on some of the blogs he follows that they too are not being able to read books quite as well as the used to. The way that people read on the internet now a days is just simply skimming it and not actually reading it. They have noticed that they are now reading that way when they are reading off the internet.

I do believe that people are losing their interest in reading and finding it easier to skim then actually reading every word. Most college students are spending more time on the internet researching than actually reading their textbooks or going to the library to research books. I don't feel that people are losing their concentration or reading abilities by using Google or the internet. The reason why is because people have to concentrate and use their reading skills in order to fully understand what their researching material is about.

"The Impact of Internet and Television Use on the Reading Habits and Practices"

Mokhtari, K., Reichard, C. A., & Gardner, A. (2009). The Impact of Internet and Television Use on the Reading Habits and Practices of College Students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(7), 609-619. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Link: http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&hid=123&sid=afdb8dd1-3ade-4c8d-a84b-a894c821708e%40sessionmgr113

The study "The Impact of Internet and Television Use on the Reading Habits and Practices," by Kouider Mokhtari Carla A. Reichard and Anne Gardner is trying to determine if the internet or television is interfering with college student’s academical or recreational reading. The authors first looked for information concerning their study to find what other people had to say of what they had noticed in college students. They found that the amount of time that college students spent reading for fun really wasn't that much and that they spent more time on the internet instead. Some research found indicated that female college students spend more time reading than men do. Most college freshman recreationally read less than an hour a week and by the time that they become seniors they aren't very likely to read at all for fun. For those college students that don't read much they tend to decline in their reading abilities. Other research found that the more time spent on the internet meant that the students were spending less time with their friends and family. Most of the students studied in the authors survey showed that the college students enjoy using the internet more than reading. Almost all the students said that they used the internet everyday or almost every day. The students also said that they used the internet for email, instant messaging, surfing the web, listening to music and for research. The students mentioned that they have more enjoyment of using the Internet than any other activity.

"Facebook and Myspace: Complement or Substitute for Face to Face Interaction"

Kujath, C. L. (2011). Facebook and MySpace: Complement or Substitute for Face-to-Face Interaction?. CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 14(1/2), 75-78. doi:10.1089/cyber.2009.0311

Link: http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=df6cc996-15b4-418a-a6ce-d77fb6ef3add%40sessionmgr112&vid=5&hid=119

The study "Facebook and MySpace: Complement or Substitute for Face to Face Interaction," by Kujath L. Carlyne wants to determine if MySpace and Facebook are used as a substitute for real human interaction. The author conducted a survey with 183 college students to get all the information she needed to determine if what she thought was true. The author found that the type of communication is not a substitute but instead an extension of communication between friends. Social networking has become very popular over the years among college students. The author states that 80% of college students use Facebook and a total of 54% of college students use MySpace. The author found that both Facebook and MySpace were sites used to maintain past relationships instead of creating new relationships. The author concludes that Facebook is more popular than MySpace and that users mostly rely on both the networking sites for intrapersonal communication.

"Cell Phones, Text Messaging, and Facebook: Competing Time Demands for Today's College Students"

Hanson, T. L., Drumheller, K., Mallard, J., McKee, C., & Schlegel, P. (2011). Cell Phones, Text Messaging, and Facebook: Competing Time Demands of Today's College Students. College Teaching, 59(1), 23-30. doi:10.1080/87567555.2010.489078

Link: http://ejournals.ebsco.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/Direct.asp?AccessToken,=95X5MII8XD5IDKK4Q5KZQIMK4IE58M5D5D&Show=Object&msid=-427806424
          
                               
                           

The article "cell phones, text messaging, and facebook: competing time demands for today's college students," by Trudy L. Hanson, Kristina Drumheller, Jessica Mallard, Connie McKee, and Paula Schlegel emphasizes that college students are not spending the amount of time studying for their classes that was recommended by their professors. College students today are more connected to the internet and having a lot of social interactions than previous students. The authors say that students today grew up with the technology that were using now a days and that they are more engaged with staying connected with friends and family. College students are more involved with social activities than they are with their academic life. With technology being a big part in people's lives, the authors found that students update their facebook status more than they download their homework assignments. There are two factors that contribute to student success which consists of the amount of effort students add to studying and how the college itself makes resources more available and organizes learning opportunities. The main thing that distracts students from having enough time to study is social activities, working and technology today, for example, cell phones, games and the internet.

"Games"

Johnson, S. (2011). Games. In S. Cohen (Ed.) , 50 Essays (pp. 196-201). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

In “Games” Steven Johnson highlights the importance of reading books but also the underappreciated benefits of video games.  His purpose is comparing reading and video games as entertainment and educational tools.  Video games improve not only hand-eye coordination and visual intelligence, they also encourage drive and the speed of information exercises the mind in new and powerful ways. Johnson argues that games improve one’s imagination and problem solving abilities. He imagines arguments that could be made against books (such as their linearity and isolating qualities) if video games had been invented first.  Johnson’s essay might help us better appreciate the creativity and intellectual benefits behind both traditional reading and modern video games.

The internet has been underappreciated at times too.  The internet can be used as a learning tool to learn all kinds of new information. It is a good educational tool and includes lots of entertainment. Anything that you’re looking to read you can almost guarantee that you will find it in the internet. There is a huge variety of entertainment ranging from games, videos and blogging. Most people find entertainment through you tube, Facebook, or twitter.

Television: The Plug-In Drug

The essay "Television: The Plug-In Drug" by Marie Winn, elaborates that from the introduction of television to now, the television has become part of our daily life and that it has replaced what families call, "family time." When televisions first came out to the public, the idea that the creators had in mind was that it was going to bring the family closer and that it would be something for the whole family to enjoy. They had no idea that about 20 years later it would have the opposite effect and that instead of becoming a closer family, all the family members would watch the television at different times. Children were affected most by the television because of wanting to watch cartoons and their favorite shows all day long. The cause of children watching television all the time lead to parents having to adjust their schedules to make sure that their children got their necessary amount of television viewing that sometimes lead to missing church and other activities.

Some parents were giving up and excepting the fact that television is taking over their daily life. There are parents who have a set schedule for their kids to watch their favorite shows every day just so that the parents can eat dinner in peace. If the kids don't interact with their parents on a regular basis, the kids will start to feel like the only reason why they are living with their parents is just to have a place to live. Family rituals were always a way to bring everyone together but the television has now made most of those family rituals disappear. It has caused some children to feel that living at home is just for the sake of convenience. Watching television has a lot of negative effects on people such as being able to make eye contact during a conversation or even conversing with one's own family. People use the television as an excuse for not wanting to talk or share one's feelings. Television has ultimately eliminated the chance for some families to have a real relationship with one another.

The same effects that are described in this essay related to the television are the same that are taking affect to college students and most teenagers. The internet has become part of our daily lives ever since it had been introduced just like the television. I’m sure that the creators of the internet thought that it would change our lives for the better and that it would be beneficial to us. It’s true that the internet is beneficial in many ways but it is also becoming a major distraction. For those college students that are living at home, internet is used as a way to escape from nagging parents or to keep themselves occupied. The internet and television are both used for a way to keep people occupied, so that they won’t have to deal with everyday problems.

Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

The essay "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For,” by Henry David Thoreau wants us as a nation to realize that we need to live life independently and deliberately. He goes on to say that the nation is too huge for its own good. The nation is always growing and is filled with many unnecessary items. We get caught up in the flow of the crowd and before you know it, it is too late to get out. Instead we need to step out of the flow and go in our own direction. People believe that all essentials that the nation has to offer are all necessary to have. There are a lot of people who are not working or even sleeping. They are too busy doing other things that are not very important and then none of their work gets done. The question that Henry David Thoreau asks is “Who will do their work that needs to be done". We are always on the go, we never rest not even to eat a meal, we would rather not eat and keep going on with our lives. The author gives an analogy saying that if people were to hear that something tragic was happening that everyone would run to the scene, but not because they all want to see it, but just to say they did.

All we want to hear is the new gossip and what is going on in our local news. The truth is that the news has the same old stories over and over again but it is just happening in new circumstances. When we choose to slow down our lives, everything around us appears clearer. Children enjoy life better than adults do, because children are not caught up in society’s world. We are all capable of living life the way God wanted us to live it. Do not let anything get in the way of living the life that you want to live. There will be difficult situations that one will run into but ignore them like they're nothing. One should never run away thinking that they can’t handle any situation that comes at them. Whatever you decide to do just try to fight through it, look it right in the face no matter what. He concludes with saying do not go through life wasting it doing unnecessary things. Use your head to find your way to the end of the tunnel. Life is short; it is what you make of it that remains forever.

There are a very few college students that aren't in the flow of spending a lot of time on the internet. College students are on the internet during some point of the day whether they are checking their Facebook, email, twitter or doing homework. Henry David Thoreau would not be too pleased if he knew that people spend their time on the internet. College students would rather be on the internet than what they’re supposed to be doing such as homework. This is why they do not get their homework done on time because no one else is going to do their homework for them but themselves. College students are also on the internet because they want to find out what is the latest gossip and news just like Thoreau saying that the first thing people want to do when they wake up is watch television.