Tools That Change the Way We Think

"Back in 2004, I asked [Google founders] Page and Brin what they saw as the future of Google search. 'It will be included in people's brains,' said Page. 'When you think about something and don't really know much about it, you will automatically get information.'
'That's true,' said Brin. 'Ultimately I view Google as a way to augment your brain with the knowledge of the world. Right now you go into your computer and type a phrase, but you can imagine that it could be easier in the future, that you can have just devices you talk into, or you can have computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and suggest useful information.'

'Somebody introduces themselves to you, and your watch goes to your web page,' said Page. 'Or if you met this person two years ago, this is what they said to you... Eventually you'll have the implant, where if you think about a fact, it will just tell you the answer."

-From In the Plex by Steven Levy (p.67)

Answer this not-so-simple question: How does extensive Internet/media/technology use change the way you think? Focus on your memory, your ability to concentrate, your sense of time and priorities, and the subjects/topics that interest you most. If you find "thinking about your thinking" difficult to assess, try the following strategies: compare yourself with older people who did most of their formal learning before smart phones and 2.0 existed; compare yourself with contemporaries who don't use those tools much today; read up on what education leaders and thinkers have to say about generational differences in thinking (and remember to cite your sources).

The expansion of internet and social networking sites have dramatically increased over the past ten years. People are now on their smart phones for a good part of the day, even me, and I believe that has a negative impact on society. The way we think, or lack of thinking, changes due to all of the devices that occupy our time and even minds. The main affect of Google / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram etc. is that these sites are a HUGE DISTRACTION. Most kids in high school probably check their phone an average of 20 times a day during school and it has even become a problem in the classroom that the devices are distractions. They cause students to not spend as much time on their homework and in turn, receive bad grades. Sense of time is almost non existent when on your phone and priorities are all out of whack, homework moves down the list and your phone moves up. Honestly, if for one day I didn't have any electronics I would probably get all my homework done at a reasonable time. I also would get an adequate amount of sleep, but due to TV and Facebook I get less sleep than I should. I get distracted so easily and these newfangled things are to blame. Also, they give us a false sense of knowledge and our study habits have gone down the drain. Whenever we don't know something now, we turn straight to our trusted friend Google for help. We start to type something in, and what do you know.. Google even reads our minds! It's crazy how a computer can know what we are thinking and unfortunately a lot of people do just that,they let Google do all the thinking for them. We have lost our skills to solve problems on our own and think in higher ways because we rely so much on the internet. I also believe that thinkers from the past such as Aristotle and Socrates are so much better at thinking than we are! They did not check their smart phones every five minutes and when there was a problem, they sat down and solved it. That's the way that things should be but technology is a thing of the future and we need take advantage of it. Make the computer work for us, don't let the computer work you.