With great power there must also come…..great responsibility
The advent of Google and its search algorithms have simplified life beyond imagination. The search result are so precise that you almost always find your answer within the first page of search results. Keywords do play an important part in tricky searches or to get targeted results, but for the most part Google searches have become easy even for the less technically-inclined. So much is Google used these days, that it has become a *verb* synonymous with searching for answers.
I am a *victim* of the syndrome. While it has definitely made getting answers quicker, I find myself not seeking the knowledge. In the past, you would be forced to read more extensively in order to find the answer. This was because keyword search was non-existent, e-books were not popular and finishing a term paper was harder. I am used to saying, “…..if the information exists in the public domain, I will find it”. I always knew the downsides, but did not do anything to rectify it. It is a slippery slope.
This is where responsibility comes in. You have be cognizant that although you are getting the information very easily, the onus is on you to make the effort to read the chapter or few paragraphs related to the subject to have the well-rounded knowledge.
If you agree/disagree with this, please share your views.
Absolutely agree and more so pertinent to critical searches like medical conditions. Google is a tool and the results are not to be taken for gospel. It is our responsibility to digest the info and then make our own decisions.
As for whether info available online and thereby us not reading much, I think it is a normal process of evolution where man is growing to read and know about stuff that is pertinent and when it is pertinent. Forget google searches, tell me how many phone numbers do you remember off the top off= your head today? I only remember the same phone numbers that I knew by heart when I was on school. No more no less.
Can’t agree more on remembering phone numbers. The only new numbers I remember are my own, Anu’s and my office phone/fax numbers. Everything about the new *smart* stuff is making us use our own *smarts* lesser and lesser.