digital dilemma

Power Browsing has become the new way to read thanks to Google.  People are becoming more and more antsy and are becoming less able to sit down and read a lengthy article or a book.  Bruce Friedman says “I can’t read War and Peace anymore,”; but lets be honest, can anyone actually sit down, read and enjoy that book.  I have never been much for reading unless it is a book that I enjoy or something that I am interested in.  I like reading on paper and not on a screen; it just all depends on the topic. For example I did not like reading The Hobbit, but I like reading the Harry Potter series and some of those books get long.  I liked reading Dan Brown books and Jane Austen novels and The Odyssey but I didn’t like reading To Kill A Mocking Bird.  I even got a bit anxious reading this article because one I had read it before but two it was kind of lengthy and it was on a screen.  I think what it really comes down to is time and if something is worth your time.  If a person decides it is worth their time, for whatever U&G reason, then they will pursue it otherwise it is considered a waste of time.

At least for me, websites like Google, and any other search engine, are a double-edged sword.  Sure search engines have their perks, and I am on Google constantly and on a daily basis, but search engines’ presences walks a thin line of a love-hate relationship for me.  I Google just about everything; when I need directions, when I am writing a paper or if I am shopping.  Google is good because it has lots of information that is easy to find.  The bad part is that anyone can have a website and I would assume that some of the SEO is monetary driven. For example when I am looking for information about a topic for a paper, one way I verify sources other than .org or .gov site is that if I see the same information pop up in multiple websites, of various domains, it must be true.  But is too much information a bad thing? For me not necessarily, I think having a lot of information where you can read all sides of a story and make your own informed decisions is best, the problem is, is that not all people think and behave this way.  I guess the argument about Google making us stupid, is that people have become lazy and just do all research online because it is there; it is convenient.  And it is convenient to research things online but also more and more books are becoming available online so it is a valuable time saver.