Is Google Making Us Stupid?

[theblether]

Is google making us stupid? I was going to write an OP to explain my thinking but I forgot what I was going to write, so I'm feeling stupid now.

[endure]

On the contrary it's given us access to knowledge that we wouldn't even know where to look for before it arrived. I used the 'net before Google (or even the WWW) arrived and it was so frustrating knowing that there was loads of stuff out there but not being able to find it.

[Thaddeus]

Is google making us stupid? I was going to write an OP to explain my thinking but I forgot what I was going to write, so I'm feeling stupid now.

Tell me about your mother.

[theblether]

On the contrary it's given us access to knowledge that we wouldn't even know where to look for before it arrived. I used the 'net before Google (or even the WWW) arrived and it was so frustrating knowing that there was loads of stuff out there but not being able to find it.

I love the fact that we can browse things quickly, but it doesn't seem to stick the same, possibly an information overload?

[endure]

Depends how deep you look. You can now take courses online that are part of some of the world's great university curriculums for free. How good is that?

[Thaddeus]

On the contrary it's given us access to knowledge that we wouldn't even know where to look for before it arrived. I used the 'net before Google (or even the WWW) arrived and it was so frustrating knowing that there was loads of stuff out there but not being able to find it.

I love the fact that we can browse things quickly, but it doesn't seem to stick the same, possibly an information overload?

Mate, it isn't the information overload that is the problem, it's the innate inability of some who do not have the ability to sift the wheat from the chaff and just forward on crap..... did you know that banana trees (it's herb anyway) can't propagate without the help of man.... I get that one quite regularly... which of course is utter rubbish.

The internet is 5% factual information, 45% speculation and 50% porn.

[MAJIC]

Replying to is Google making us stupid.

Most certainly not! in fact I would go as far as to say,Google and the likes of,and the Internet in general is making us more Knowledgeable.

Remember the old days before the advent of the Internet,when if some information was required,virtually the only option of finding the required information was sifting through books for half a day,at the local Library (often coming out empty handed).

Perish the thought that we should ever have to do that again. Politicians had a field day in those days,they could lie and backtrack on promises or contradict anything with impunity,now they can be minutes away from being quoted and exposed,by the computer literate.

Hard to believe now,that the Internet with it's world of information at our finger tips is only a little over 20 years old!

Sorry, we were more stupid before this very useful tool came along,I remember many naysayers predicting that even the simple Calculator,was making us lazy, as well as stupid,and would be the beginning of the end for Education, what dinosaurs!

Of course not all the information is correct and unbiased,but that also goes for the news media.

Edited December 15, 2012 by MAJIC

[7by7]

Stupid?

No.

Stupidity is something one is born with; you're either stupid or intelligent or, like most of us, somewhere in between. Although circumstances may make one temporarily more stupid than normal, or at least make one act more stupid than normal. Being brahms being a prime example of this; but anger, grief and other extreme emotions can do so as well.

Ignorant?

Definitely not.

The internet and search engines such as Google have opened up a vast resource of knowledge and research which was not available to many previously.

Lazy?

Possibly. Like any tool it has to be used properly. Hitting on the first item thrown up in a search may give you the correct answer, but equally may not. Cross checking with other results is required if one wants to be sure; like cross checking in books in a library.

But what do I know? According to certain parties I'm just an 'instant Google expert!'

Edited December 15, 2012 by 7by7

[StreetCowboy]

I think Wikipedia is the more obvious threat to our knowledge; I dont know what proportion of facts one obtains from Wikipedia are incorrect, either accidentally or deliberately so,but one can often glean the opinion or prejudice of the author from its pages. Not such a problem when the author is waxing lyrical about the exploits of one of his sporting heroes, but more sinister when history is presented with emotive colourings.

I generally assume that non-quantitative numbers are accurate - dates, scores. Statistics I remain sceptical of.

I don't know how one influences google, though; how one skews search results in favour of one's own point of view or business; but I am impressed with google's comprehensiveness. I often use it to recover specific posts from this forum, if I can remember a distinctive turn of phrase; however, if I were to repeat those turns of phrase here or elsewhere, then the search would turn up this post as well, which would be less helpful

SC

[matt helm]

I guess it would depend on how you define stupid. I'm amazed at how quickly American youth culture has spread to the rest of the world in just the last 15 years and that to me is very stupid. I know one thing for sure, It's going to be a much more boring world when everyone thinks and acts the same.

[StreetCowboy]

I guess it would depend on how you define stupid. I'm amazed at how quickly American youth culture has spread to the rest of the world in just the last 15 years and that to me is very stupid. I know one thing for sure, It's going to be a much more boring world when everyone thinks and acts the same.

I reckon the world is much more varied and diverse now. It used to be that you had to travel to eat foreign food, drink foreign beer, meet foreign people. Now you only have to go down your local high street. I suppose we could harp back to the days when each little area had its own distinctive customs and practices, an the next village was a long way away, but personally, I like to travel, and to buy imported goods.

It would be nice to prevent Johnny Foreigner from enjoying the same freedom, and force them to maintain their own cultural idiosyncrasies, but I don't know how easy that would be, nor how grateful they would be to us for it

SC

[Payboy]

I googled "stupid" and got 486,000,000 results.

[nontabury]

Is google making us stupid? I was going to write an OP to explain my thinking but I forgot what I was going to write, so I'm feeling stupid now.

I think it's a good starting point,to find information,thou it's always better to double check that the information is correct,especially if you are relying upon the opinions of the author.What i find more worrying, is that here on T.V,there are certain people who do not believe anything they read on goggle,especially if it does not tie in with THEIR narrow thoughts.

Edited December 16, 2012 by nontabury

[matt helm]

I guess it would depend on how you define stupid. I'm amazed at how quickly American youth culture has spread to the rest of the world in just the last 15 years and that to me is very stupid. I know one thing for sure, It's going to be a much more boring world when everyone thinks and acts the same.

I reckon the world is much more varied and diverse now. It used to be that you had to travel to eat foreign food, drink foreign beer, meet foreign people. Now you only have to go down your local high street. I suppose we could harp back to the days when each little area had its own distinctive customs and practices, an the next village was a long way away, but personally, I like to travel, and to buy imported goods.

It would be nice to prevent Johnny Foreigner from enjoying the same freedom, and force them to maintain their own cultural idiosyncrasies, but I don't know how easy that would be, nor how grateful they would be to us for it

SC

I completely disagree that the world is more varied and diverse now, quite the opposite. As for the rest of your comment it has nothing to do with what I stated in mine.

[xen]

I know spell check has destroyed my ability to spell correctly - close enough is good enough then use spell check.

[Tywais]

I do rely upon Google heavily. Working in physics, electronics and software development it's my oasis of knowledge in an otherwise Thai desert. That only scratches the surface of my professional need. Hobbies such as photography, etc and than social, medical, etc. on a more personal level. The bottom line, I am always learning from it.

[MAJIC]

I think Wikipedia is the more obvious threat to our knowledge; I dont know what proportion of facts one obtains from Wikipedia are incorrect, either accidentally or deliberately so,but one can often glean the opinion or prejudice of the author from its pages. Not such a problem when the author is waxing lyrical about the exploits of one of his sporting heroes, but more sinister when history is presented with emotive colourings.

I generally assume that non-quantitative numbers are accurate - dates, scores. Statistics I remain sceptical of.

I don't know how one influences google, though; how one skews search results in favour of one's own point of view or business; but I am impressed with google's comprehensiveness. I often use it to recover specific posts from this forum, if I can remember a distinctive turn of phrase; however, if I were to repeat those turns of phrase here or elsewhere, then the search would turn up this post as well, which would be less helpful

SC

Can't see how you can influence Google,one needs to know how to use a Gigantic Database,type in the correct search criteria,and you get the answer you were looking for. Such as: Steel/wheel/car/Lotus,will not bring up a plastic wheel for a mini!

[MAJIC]

I think Wikipedia is the more obvious threat to our knowledge; I dont know what proportion of facts one obtains from Wikipedia are incorrect, either accidentally or deliberately so,but one can often glean the opinion or prejudice of the author from its pages. Not such a problem when the author is waxing lyrical about the exploits of one of his sporting heroes, but more sinister when history is presented with emotive colourings.

I generally assume that non-quantitative numbers are accurate - dates, scores. Statistics I remain sceptical of.

I don't know how one influences google, though; how one skews search results in favour of one's own point of view or business; but I am impressed with google's comprehensiveness. I often use it to recover specific posts from this forum, if I can remember a distinctive turn of phrase; however, if I were to repeat those turns of phrase here or elsewhere, then the search would turn up this post as well, which would be less helpful

SC

Can't see how you can influence Google,one needs to know how to use a Gigantic Database,type in the correct search criteria,and you get the answer you were looking for. Such as: Steel/wheel/car/Lotus,will not bring up a plastic wheel for a mini!

P.S The problem with Wiki is that it' an open system,where anyone can sign in and update the articles according to their own viewpoint,so the accuracy level of information is lower than most, never put money on what you read in Wiki! Google is much more reliable!

[theblether]

Stupid?

No.

Stupidity is something one is born with; you're either stupid or intelligent or, like most of us, somewhere in between. Although circumstances may make one temporarily more stupid than normal, or at least make one act more stupid than normal. Being brahms being a prime example of this; but anger, grief and other extreme emotions can do so as well.

Ignorant?

Definitely not.

The internet and search engines such as Google have opened up a vast resource of knowledge and research which was not available to many previously.

Lazy?

Possibly. Like any tool it has to be used properly. Hitting on the first item thrown up in a search may give you the correct answer, but equally may not. Cross checking with other results is required if one wants to be sure; like cross checking in books in a library.

But what do I know? According to certain parties I'm just an 'instant Google expert!'

555555+

[Rob8891]

I think Wikipedia is the more obvious threat to our knowledge; I dont know what proportion of facts one obtains from Wikipedia are incorrect, either accidentally or deliberately so,but one can often glean the opinion or prejudice of the author from its pages. Not such a problem when the author is waxing lyrical about the exploits of one of his sporting heroes, but more sinister when history is presented with emotive colourings.

I generally assume that non-quantitative numbers are accurate - dates, scores. Statistics I remain sceptical of.

I don't know how one influences google, though; how one skews search results in favour of one's own point of view or business; but I am impressed with google's comprehensiveness. I often use it to recover specific posts from this forum, if I can remember a distinctive turn of phrase; however, if I were to repeat those turns of phrase here or elsewhere, then the search would turn up this post as well, which would be less helpful

SC

Can't see how you can influence Google,one needs to know how to use a Gigantic Database,type in the correct search criteria,and you get the answer you were looking for. Such as: Steel/wheel/car/Lotus,will not bring up a plastic wheel for a mini!

P.S The problem with Wiki is that it' an open system,where anyone can sign in and update the articles according to their own viewpoint,so the accuracy level of information is lower than most, never put money on what you read in Wiki! Google is much more reliable!

Google is a search engine, not an information site in the way that Wikiwhatever is, ergo you can't make that comparison. Using any search engine requires intelligence to identify reliable sites and thereafter relevant information.

[Rob8891]

Stupid?

No.

Stupidity is something one is born with; you're either stupid or intelligent or, like most of us, somewhere in between. Although circumstances may make one temporarily more stupid than normal, or at least make one act more stupid than normal. Being brahms being a prime example of this; but anger, grief and other extreme emotions can do so as well.

Ignorant?

Definitely not.

The internet and search engines such as Google have opened up a vast resource of knowledge and research which was not available to many previously.

Lazy?

Possibly. Like any tool it has to be used properly. Hitting on the first item thrown up in a search may give you the correct answer, but equally may not. Cross checking with other results is required if one wants to be sure; like cross checking in books in a library.

But what do I know? According to certain parties I'm just an 'instant Google expert!'

555555+

That reminds me....I must go and Google the meaning of "karma".......

[David006]

No....

Fantastic source of information , anything from actual facts to know all opinionated waffle.

Up to you to use as you see fit.

It is a great memory boost/aid too.....ie adding to/confirming what you think you already know?

Takes a bit of thought/logic to best format search for what you are after...though.. just a learning curve .

My opinion is that search engines and the internet are the greatest quantum leap in the use of technology since the advent of printing press.

[StreetCowboy]

No....

Fantastic source of information , anything from actual facts to know all opinionated waffle.

Up to you to use as you see fit.

It is a great memory boost/aid too.....ie adding to/confirming what you think you already know?

Takes a bit of thought/logic to best format search for what you are after...though.. just a learning curve .

My opinion is that search engines and the internet are the greatest quantum leap in the use of technology since the advent of printing press.

I don't know how easy it is to spread misinformation, though, by making sure that your own web site comes up first in google searches.

I believe that there are several members of this forum who earn a living doing this

SC

[ignis]

I know spell check has destroyed my ability to spell correctly - close enough is good enough then use spell check.

Being Dyslexic spell check is a god send, there again you have to get the 1st few letters right somehow I manage as if what I am looking for comes up then fine, problem is so many US words are spelled different than UK English, often have to re type so can use a different word altogether ......

Would be a good idea if it could read your mind and simply print it.

Edit: Spelt different.......... is what I wanted to say, but no idea how to spell that, so nearest is spelled, somehow does not look right ??

Edited December 17, 2012 by ignis

[StreetCowboy]

I know spell check has destroyed my ability to spell correctly - close enough is good enough then use spell check.

Being Dyslexic spell check is a god send, there again you have to get the 1st few letters right somehow I manage as if what I am looking for comes up then fine, problem is so many US words are spelled different than UK English, often have to re type so can use a different word altogether ......

Would be a good idea if it could read your mind and simply print it.

I would fall foul of my company policy on obscene material then

[ignis]

Google, yes only use Google, but what get me is say you search for a flight to somewhere........... So enter 'Fly Bangkok to ........... brings up most UK companies or US with prices in GBP or US$....... why ?

Look for the Thai Bus timetable, fine mostly shows all the Bus Companies going to the destination you have entered, but then come the difficult part, try to find the times returning,,,,, So enter the destination to Bangkok by Bus the pages all come up with Bangkok to.......... Not what I want or asked

The list is endless, I appear to spend more time keep changing what I am looking for before I can get what I am really looking for.

Maybe I am searching wrong ?

[Stradavarius37]

Its not making us stupid, but it is changing the way we access information. Schools and curriculum should no longer be focused on filling us with information, but rather, the think creatively, and problem solve, with the information in hand.

[uptheos]

I know spell check has destroyed my ability to spell correctly - close enough is good enough then use spell check.

What's a spell check?

[ignis]

I know spell check has destroyed my ability to spell correctly - close enough is good enough then use spell check.

What's a spell check?

There you go pop that into Google and up come 11,800,000 results.. ....... why on earth would anyone want to read that many ?

[uptheos]

I know spell check has destroyed my ability to spell correctly - close enough is good enough then use spell check.

What's a spell check?

There you go pop that into Google and up come 11,800,000 results.. ....... why on earth would anyone want to read that many ?

That's the problem it would take so long to check out all the answers.