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)

Internet/media/technology use has made it easier for me to obtain the gist of a topic rather than searching in depth. Routinely, this has made me lazier, lazier, and lazier. It's just that Internet allows me to save time by getting the information in an instant rather than going to the library and search through the books. However, what I am beginning to realize is that modern people are indifferent to education than older people who learned in the formal way. Back then, there were no websites that summarized books or calculators to solve a problem. They had to actually spend hours and hours of time devoting to their assignments. I, on the other hand, can read from a book, but if the deadline for a book report is coming up and I didn't even read a page from my book, then I can go online and search for a summary and get the job done in an instant. It's that simple. Using Internet this way is beneficial in the short run, but detrimental in the long run. The major difference between them and us (as in modern kids) is that they actually wanted to learn and were dedicated to their work. We, on the other hand, give up if things get too complicated and try to find an easier way to access information quickly.