pollipops: Google b makin me dumb, yo!
Image courtesy of ddpavumba,
freedigitalphotos.net
Harvard psychologists recently conducted a study which found that people are remembering less because of their dependency on the internet.
And to that I say…
“Give me a sec! Let me check!”
Ahhh, it’s the Google effect!
Basically they found that people put less priority into remembering information that they know is easily accessible online.
For example, with this blog, I’ll advise you right now. You don’t need to remember this !!! You can simply come back and read this again and again and again …
The poor guinea pigs that were tested on in this study were led to believe that certain information they were given would be erased shortly after, and other information would be stored for their reference. To no surprise they were more likely to remember the information that was not stored.
Sounds smart to me! That’s just good brain space management! We can’t remember everything!
Personally I see nothing wrong with using the internet to get accurate facts.
I’m sure you’ve all been in ‘that’ dinner conversation where someone at the dinner table says, “apples” and you’re positive it’s oranges. He goes on and on about, “apple this, and apple that” and you just sit there grinding your teeth. Until he makes the mistake of trying to use you to confirm his “apple” theory. You say, “orange” and things get intense.
We are very lucky now. Times have changed! Now, we can simply pull out our smart phones and announce to the table, and nearby tables that he was dead wrong. A rambling idiot, so to speak. I personally like to have a little quiet dialogue to myself for the others to hear while doing the search. Just to add a little drama to the unvailing.
“Oh, here it is….” “Almost got it….” Then, bam!!! “It’s oranges! See everyone! It’s oranges!!”
The rest of the night may be a little awkward, but inside you, and your extended brain (Google) will feel great!
What do you think? Is Google making us dumber? Do you use the internet to solve disputes, check facts or cheat at trivia? Let me know!
Piece out!
Mr.J
The Guest Room 