The two articles “The Internet Is No Substitute for the Dying Newspaper Industry” and “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” reflect view on how the Internet is affecting people in addition to showing how distinct the differences between traditional and technological text are.
In Carr’s article he shows how the usefulness of the Internet, namely Google makes us lazy. Honestly, how long has it been since you picked up a dictionary, why waste a minute or two looking up a word, when you can easily find its case history within twenty seconds online? Throughout his piece Carr compares how he once was able to sit and read long novels such as War and Peace yet now he can barely do so because the Internet offers a much more compact way of getting everything out of the book. Though he seems to show some negative aspects that come with the usage of the Internet such as laziness, he also plays up the benefits it offers. For example one feature that the Internet has the book or newspaper cannot give is the hyperlink, when reading online instead of having to look elsewhere for material being referenced to fully understand what is going on, being online allows you to directly access other works with just one click. Another point Carr makes is “Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes.” now that the world of information is basically at our fingertips. However, with all this handy it seems that people are being too dependent on the web. Which I believe is true; I know the first thing I think of doing when my parents force me to stay home is to come online. I can do just about anything with the computer, I can watch my favorite shows, see and chat with friends, read, and listen to music.
In the second article Hedges points out that the reason the decline of newspapers is not because of the Internet but because PEOPLE prefer “fast moving images rather than print.” Throughout his article, Hedges argues that whereas the Internet can be a useful tool to people, it cannot replace what the newspaper stands for. “Newspapers, when well run, are a public trust. They provide, at their best, the means for citizens to examine themselves, to ferret out lies…” Though you can find out just about anything online, the newspaper offers more authority than you can find online. He also points out that in any case the actual newspaper is where most of the people that are writing online get there information, so you might as well be reading the newspaper rather than someone’s personal take on what is going on in the world. He states that REAL “journalism is about transmitting information that doesn’t care what you think.” However, I think he is a bit extreme when he says that the democracy will die if there aren’t strong enough sources distributing information, yes I agree that people can be easily mislead without proper outlets of information, but I don’t think that the government that is supposed to be based on the opinions of the people will die because of the opinions of the people.
