A Rhetorical Review of “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”

Throughout the history of humankind, there have been several life-altering inventions that affected humans both physically and mentally. In the present day, humans have discovered that we are amidst another life altering change: the internet. Nicholas Carr, the author of “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” came across a curious discovery one day when he realized how hard it was becoming for him to focus while he was doing some lengthy reading. To find the cause of this focusing problem, Carr began to think of probable causes. He realized that the problem was his brain’s rewiring to read and understand dialogue like one would read an article on a website. 

The article overall is very compelling read that sparks a topic I do not hear about often. Since the internet was created decades ago, people have begun to adapt the large source of information that can be accessed by a click of a button. Carr stated in the text, “The internet is becoming a universal medium, the conduit for most of the information that flows through my eyes and ears and into my mind (Carr 3).” This clearly supports his argument he is trying to evoke upon the reader. People who use the internet either for work or for fun usually catch themselves skimming through the text they are reading. All of this is done with the hopes of catching the gist of the reading and gaining most of the information needed from the text. 

Beyond this point in the article, the information being provided begins to stray away from the main thesis of the reading. It was hard to find the Ethos aspect throughout the entirety of the article. Ethos in literature is how an author shows credibility about a topic or argument. It is important to build credibility as a way of backing up your statement. The author did provide a lot of different examples of historic inventions that also changed the cognitive functionalities of our brains like the internet is doing currently. The only issue is that the information being provided in the text does not relate to the title of this article: “Is Google Maing Us Stupid?” Furthermore, it would be logical that Carr was implying that these historical times are also times when humans thought they were becoming less sharp intellectually. Unfortunately, this still is way off topic of whether the internet is making people more stupid. Moreover, Carr briefly explains within the first few paragraphs of the article, and then throughout the text, that he loves the internet and the idea of it. Especially as a writer, Carr can get ahold of any sort of information he needs at an exceptional rate. Compared to how humans used to study and find information, this was quite a delight to Carr. Which of course counters his main thesis that he is trying to persuade the reader. 

As an example, Carr states, “we may well be reading more today than we did in the 1970s or 1980s...it's a different kind of reading and behind it lies a different kind of thinking  (Carr 7).” From this I can state that it does not help the argument he is trying to make. He uses examples from the past that show how humans have gone through major changes, but none seem as though they were making humans less smart. It appears we are becoming more advanced as a species. Between paragraphs 7 and 8 in the text Carr uses the example of how humans transitioned from simple word of mouth, to the printing press. People back then had the same skepticism as Carr does with the internet now. 

In paragraph 9, Carr mentions Frederich Nietzsche and how he bought a typewriter when they were still an uncommon item. Eventually, Nietzsche’s vision began to fail him, and just focusing on the paper in front of him hurt too much. The typewriter ended up helping Nietzsche because he was able to memorize where each letter was on his keyboard. Therefore, without it, he would have never been able to write again. Carr claims though that because of the combination of this modern technology, and that Nietzsche was blind, his writing suffered (Carr 9). I can infer, though, that this was not because Nietzsche was losing mental capability, but because he was forced to write in such a way that his brain was not used to. As for the Ethos aspect of this writing, this was one time in which Carr mentioned information that was credible and added to the argument. 

As for the representation of pathos in this reading, the author did not do too well of a job swaying the reader emotionally. Overall, Carr’s structure and dialogue are very informal, rather than persuasive. It is to the point where one might forget what the author is trying to get across to the reader.  In the beginning of the article, Carr begins with stating that the internet has gained a rather large following and is now becoming very influential to many. The text states, “for me, as for others, the internet is becoming a universal medium, the conduit for most of the information that flows through my eyes and ears and into my mind (Carr 4).” In the aspect of pathos, this is very relatable to the audience. This is because most people in the present use the internet for daily tasks. Therefore, emotionally, the reader would most likely want to read more in order to discover whether or not using the internet has an effect on their intellect. 

Throughout the rest of the essay, it was very difficult finding affective pathos usage throughout the many different topics that are discussed. It seemed more implied rather than being recognized. For example, “‘I now almost lost have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print (carr 7).’” Obviously, one would be concerned to read that they can also lose the ability to focus when they use the internet. Therefore, this is a great use of pathos in the article. As previously stated, though, it is almost as if Carr did not mean to bring this sort of fear into the writing. The reader themself has to develop the emotion and react to it in their own way. 

Later on, within the article, between pages 798-800, a lengthy discussion begins involving the advancing technology of Google. Scientists of Google are trying to make the ultimate utopia of all search engines. This means having the perfect answer to every question that one might ask. Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google, had a passion to convert their search engine into an advanced artificial intelligence. The text states, “Sergey Brin and Larry Page...speak frequently of their desire to turn their search engine into an artificial intelligence, a HAL-like machine that might be connected directly to our brains (Carr 27).” When applying this quote’s use of pathos, this was somewhat effective in the sense that Carr used it to persuade the audience that the technology Google is trying to create is almost controversial. Some people would not be okay with the idea of having an artificial intelligence connected directly to their brains. On the contrary, Carr is still straying away from the main topic of his article. Therefore, the evidence provided is enough to conclude that the author had only somewhat proper use of logos that was implied throughout the essay. 

Finding any sort of types of logos examples were mostly found within the beginning and the middle of this article, when the author is describing how the internet affects the user’s capability to stay focused. Carr used different examples to describe how the brain is very malleable and can be rewired with ease. Carr states in the article, “James Olds, a professor of neuroscience...says the mind ‘is very plastic.’... ‘the brain,’ according to Olds, ‘has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions (Carr 14).’” This is a logical piece of evidence that supports the idea that the internet could potentially cause someone to lose some level of intellect. Unfortunately, the author of course does not relate this back to his main thesis, and therefore hinders the logos aspect of the writing. 

The internet seems to be having an effect on people who use it. This is supported by proper evidence throughout the essay. Carr simply needs to redevelop a proper title for the essay. This is because most of the information talked about in this essay support the idea that the internet is actually causing people to be less focused. Carr provided perfect examples of this by involving history of life-changing inventions that also caused controversy among the people. All of which talked about how the people of these times also felt that these new technologies being invented were causing the people to be less focused. In this sense, it can be concluded that with the constant drive to finding the perfect technology, people seem to be becoming less and less focused on major information that used to be widely known.