Is Google Making Us Dumb?

20 posted on May 20, 2008

POSTED IN: Blog Posts, Culture, Technology

Business Week recently ranked Google as the 2nd most innovative company in the US, and for good reason. They have made finding information about absolutely anything as simple as typing in a few keywords.

For example, that piece about Google being in the Business Week Top Innovative Companies list – did did I specifically bookmark that link for this blog post? Nope. Why should I when it takes less than 10 seconds to “Google” it – yes, this generation has turned Google into a verb.

There’s an interesting aspect of Google’s impact on our daily lives. Having so much information available to us so easily has changed the way we remember information.

For example, how many times have you caught yourself typing keywords into Google to get to a specific web site you’ve been to before? I do this all the time no matter how simple the address might be. Even on my blog with a simple web site address like www.bradruggles.com, do you know what my top Google search query is? “Brad Ruggles.” It’s easier for many of my non-RSS readers to Google “Brad Ruggles” than it is to type in my address.

We have subconsciously chosen to remember keywords to type into Google instead of remembering the actual web site we want to go to.

Here’s another quirky Google use. I’ve had a number come up on my caller ID that I don’t recognize and have been able to quickly type the digits into Google and figure out who was calling in time to answer the call.

Not only has this ease of access to information made our lives easier, it’s also made us dependent on it. In this Internet usage survey from 2002, 52% of users said they would go home if their Internet connection died at work.

When was the last time you converted a fraction to decimal without Googling it?

Who bothers to remember information like State or country capitals when it’s a search string away? U.S. Presidents? US to Metrics conversion? Time Zone conversion?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not calling for the end of easy access to information. Heavens knows that I would be a mess without my Google toolbar, Goog411 or Google SMS. I’m one of the biggest Google fans out there. I’m just curious as to how this will affect the next generation.

There’s no question that Google has allowed us quicker, easier access to information than ever before. But are we really smarter?

What are your thoughts?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 9:02 am and is filed under Blog Posts, Culture, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

13 Comments

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May 20, 2008

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1 Jesse Phillips said:

Brad, very interesting post and point. I think Einstein once said when asked for a famous equation “I don’t remember that. Why would I bother storing that in my head when I can refer to it from a piece of paper” (approximately).

Perhaps Google is actually making us smarter, by freeing-up our brains to think critically – rather than filling our brains with reference trivia.

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May 20, 2008

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2 Brad Ruggles said:

Jesse – Very good point. I hadn’t heard that quote by Einstein but it makes sense.

Thanks for weighing in on this question.

- Brad
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May 20, 2008

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3 blake said:

google is my homepage. you’re right – it makes things sooooo easy.

but really i think the better question is – when was the last time you converted a fraction to a decimal?

and for that matter – i simply type whatever i want to know in and then add “wiki” and wikipedia answers any question that there is.

blakes last blog post..Check These Out.
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May 20, 2008

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4 Vince said:

Google is my life. I use every product they have…now i use Google health. Android is going to change my life.

i use Google toilet paper

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May 20, 2008

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5 JVo said:

Uhhhhhhhhhh . . .
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May 22, 2008

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6 pinetrees10 said:

I think Google has certainly done some amazing things. However, I want to be sure that we don’t miss out on the opportunity for comparison “shopping”, when available.

When it comes to free directory assistance, you have LOTS of choices, including several that have been around since well before the Google version and others that have come out since. They differ in some important ways, so try them all out and see which one(s) you prefer. With this many companies all trying to get our fingers to dial THEIR numbers, you may want to try them all every so often just to see what’s new! Grin!

I prefer the ones that have operators to help when the automation doesn’t recognize me and that also don’t restrict me to only business searches – sometimes I need to find people, too! You may have other preferences that will make one or more of these more valuable to you.

1-800-YellowPages (800-935-5697)
1-800-411-SAVE (800-411-7283)
1-800-555-Tell (800-555-8355)
1-800-Call-411 (800-225-5411)
1-800-Call-Dex (800-225-5339)
1-800-Free-411 (800-373-3411)
1-800-Goog-411 (800-466-4411)
1-800-Info-Fast (800-463-6327)
1-800-The-Info (800-843-4636)
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May 22, 2008

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7 AlanM said:

I think that 411 was the original search and I’ve seen that a number of these free players are trying to offer more “find” services where you can ask them anything via the phone to get Google-type information when an Internet connection is not handy.

I want to second 800-411-SAVE and the comment about operators versus automation.

There are differences in all these providers, but I use 800-411-SAVE because they use live agents and do business, government, and residential searches in both the US and Canada … and from the sound of it, the agents are not offshore!
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May 22, 2008

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8 Brad Ruggles said:

Wow, I didn’t realize this was going to turn into a discussion of the best 411 services out there! So much for my deep, thought-provoking post!

- Brad
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May 29, 2008

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9 nate said:

YES! The phrase, “knowledge is power,” is antiquated. It should read, unfortunately, “access to knowledge it power.”

But it’s not just google. When I was teen I had memorized at least two dozen phone numbers. Now, due to the convenient accessibility of my cell phone’s address book, which is synced to my computer, there is no need to memorize another phone book again.

Contra Einstein, I remember reading that there is an indefinite amount of computing and storage space in the brain. The brain itself learns. The more efficiency of a synapse is parallel to it’s exercise. Or so I’ve read.

Hooray technology’s cure, nintendo ds, brain age.

I like this blog…I’ll subscribe.
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May 29, 2008

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10 Brad Ruggles said:

Nate – Good point. I hadn’t actually thought about other areas we become dependent on technology like memorizing phone numbers vs. keeping them in our phone.

- Brad
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August 16, 2009

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11 EPS 415 :: W7 – How we Think and Learn | Lee Stanton’s Blog said:

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