Can you Google how to underwater basket weave for me?

“Hey Cassandra, what’s the capital of Louisiana?”
“One sec, let me Google it.”

It is sad to admit it, but this is a conversation that happens more often that I would like to say. The word “Google” has become a verb in our generation. Although I think Google is a wonderful invention, it is kind of like a higher power. We go to Google when we need an answer to something. Honestly, I haven’t cared that our school library has been taking a lot time to be built. I probably won’t use it. I have the internet for research. One of Carr’s discussion points in his article “Is Google making us stupid?” is why read books when you can find the answer faster on the internet? This generation is all about convenience. We struggle at reading long pieces of literature. I couldn't help but think, “Hmm.. Maybe this is why I hate reading my Biology textbook.” That is partially true. I hate to read long things because I lose focus. But, it could also be that it is the subject of biology. I felt convicted when Carr stated, “Even a blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it.” Ptsh. I never do that. Okay, maybe that was a lie. It is sad how our generation just skims everything that comes in front of our face. I would be willing to make bets that whoever attempted to read my blog just skimmed it. One thing that made me feel uneasy was when Carr said, “The ultimate search engine is something as smart as people – or smarter.” I don’t like the idea of an object being smarter than me. But, in reality, Google might have more knowledge, but I know what to do with it. Hedge’s piece, “American the Illiterate”, was rather interesting. I like how he put the world into two categories, the print-based (literate world) and the world that cannot tell the difference between the truth and the lies (illiterate world). When he mentioned the illiterate world, I couldn't help but think of the Wikipedia. Wikipedia has so many lies in it. The average person would not be able to tell what is true and what isn't. I believe Hedge’s definition of literacy would be an individual that can tell between the truth and the lies and being able to read. Hedge and Carr both think that the world is “dumbing down” for our generation. What scares me is that I think they are right. We like to have information at our finger tips and to understand things right away. “Obama used hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign funds to appeal to and manipulate this illiteracy and irrationalism to his advantage, but these forces will prove to be his most deadly nemesis once they collide with the awful reality that awaits us.” This is scary. Will we be able to tell apart the truth and the lies?