Is Google Making Us Stupid?, Nicholas Carr wonders. After all, Google tricks us into endless foraging trips to satisfy our information hunger, which it does not. On the contrary, it only makes us more and more eager to look for more information. Before we know it, we are driven by our information urge, an instinct which is taking control of our lives. We divert from whatever we are doing, we skim and devour, but we never take the time to digest. In short: the world is falling apart, thanks to Google.
Carr provokes, delibirately. And his approach works. In Edge 250 other great thinkers of our time elaborate on Carr’s opinion, some agree, but most of them criticise Carr fiercely for his pessimism.
I agree with them because I do not believe internet nihilism is the way to look at the future of the information age. But what strikes me is that I cannot seem to find an answer to the question of what kind of skills we need to deal with this huge amount of information at close range.
Then what is that skill? Playing. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less. We are up for some serious gaming and it appears we are not ready for it. Yet.
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