The phrase, "Just Google It", is as common place as internet access through out the United States. The vast, tangled web, of information provided on the web as been both a blessing and a curse for those seeking knowledge on the internet. Recent research has found that information "googled" is less likely to be remembered than other traditional forms of learning (Krieger, 2011). Is this necessarily a bad thing? And our we as the human race becoming sequentially dumber as more and more information becomes available online? I suppose it depends on how someone views information previously stored in memory being allocated to the "cloud". Wegner & Ward (2013) through experimentation found that individuals rely on the internet to play the role of an "all knowing" friend. This "friend" can then help answer hard to remember facts or information that previously may have been committed to memory. Wegner & Ward (2013) also found that individuals allowed to use Google to find answers felt smarter than those who were not able to search answers from the internet. This false cognitive self esteem made individuals feel smarter despite the fact they knew less information and relied on Google as a memory source. Google is so pervasive I even have to capitalize it......
Works Cited:
Krieger,L.M. Google is changing your brain, study says, and don't you forget it. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2014, retrieved from
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_18478827
Wegner, D., & Ward, D. (n.d.). The Internet Has Become the External Hard Drive for Our Memories. Retrieved September 3, 2014, retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-internet-has-become-the-external-hard-drive-for-our-memories/?page=3
This post is a real eye opener, we have transitioned to becoming more dependent not only on the help of Google, but technology in general. What was made for simple tasks and educational purposes has been blown wayyy out of proportion, how many people can say that they could go a day without Google?
ReplyDelete