Nicholas Carr [ IdeaCity ] In the summer of 2008, The Atlantic published Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” as the cover story of its annual Ideas issue. Highly critical of the Internet’s effect on cognition, the article has been read and debated widely in both the media and the blogosphere. Carr’s main argument is that the Internet may have detrimental effects
Sherry Turkle [ Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, MIT ] A meta-analysis that looked at many surveys– many studies– over the past 20 years — found that there has been a 40% drop in all markers for empathy among college students — most of it in the last 10 years. The argument that I’m going to make today —
Barbara Oakley [ Google Talk ] I’d like to begin by telling you a little story. This story is about– well, I think all of us love to watch other people, right? To some greater or lesser extent. I love people watching. I have to tell you about this one guy who was one of the most interesting people I’ve ever watched. This