I think it's invalid. Yes, I will go to the net if I want something quickly but I would prefer to read a book. There's just something about holding a book and the satisfaction of being able to curl up with it.

Rachel, I agree that there's something about the tactile sensation of print that an online version will never replace. That's one reason I prefer a real newspaper to the web edition.

I think the more interesting point is the premise that the brain might "rewire" itself to accommodate the medium through which content is delivered.

As much as I use Google as an information source, I think people, especially kids, lose something in not having to dig around for answers. Like imagination. The best part of most trips is the journey not the destination.

The first article described exactly what I've been going through for a couple of years, but I attributed it to my tiny benign brain tumor, not increased use of the web.

Now I wonder if that's the case.

And please don't tell me I'm the only one that has ever had the desire to click on a word in a book for a quick definition!

Actually, I do agree that technology in general is stunting our intellect. Like Wallace said, the ability to "Google" any question quickly & easily makes for people with weak research skills. It strips them of much of the need to critically think about questions. And people seem to take the first "hit" they find via Google at face value. It may be more credible than something like Wikipedia, but it's still suspect to me until I'm validated my findings.

Likewise, I consider cell phones to be incredibly detrimental - especially for children. If Mom is never more than a button press away, you no longer have to solve your own problems, plan out your day in advance, or think for yourself. I've seen this countless times.

It amazes me that people justify cell phones as necessary & vital, yet have you paid attention to what they're using them for? It's very often laughably trivial crap that could've easily waited. Just because you can have instant communication doesn't necessarily mean that you need it - and most people don't have a legitimate need. Don't even get me started on those oh-so-self-important lugnuts who can't remove their Bluetooth headset dangling from an ear long enough to grab a bite of lunch... Agh!

Texting is another gotcha for me. If you need to get a message to me - and we both already have cell phones - just call & speak to me, dammit! Texting is dumbing down communications for a whole generation and is poised to altogher ruin it for the next.

(Yeah, regrettably, I caved in & started carrying a cell phone when I was out of town so much earlier this year. But I'm not proud of that - and I rarely use it.)

Wallace, it's a tricky issue. Is it better to have kids rely on Google to find the right answer, or to guess and come up with the wrong one? And in today's tech-centric society, could it be that facility with Google and other online resources is actually a valuable skill?

I tend to come down on the side of the argument that says that these things, plus the cell phones that Rob abhors, are neutral tools, and the problems – as well as the advantages – arise in the way they're used.

Rob, your observation about the 24/7/365 connection of kids to parents via cell phone is a subject that's ripe for a whole series of posts! I couldn't agree more that we may be raising a generation who won't develop the discipline to think for themselves. Or, we could just be cutting the learning curve, and getting the kids to the same place in quicker fashion.

Donna, you're not the only one! I've been spoiled rotten by easy access to spellcheck and online dictionaries. It's made me a lazy thinker in that regard.

I guess I read far enough…

“I find all of this fascinating, and I can't help thinking that the fact that it's even being discussed in such depth is perhaps an indication that the worry is overblown.”

When I read this, the thought that popped into my head was, “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” Of course, I had to Google to find out that it was Desiderius Erasmus who said it.

And yet, it wouldn't have altered the relevance of your point one whit whether you (or I) knew the source of that statement, and whether we actually remember that source the next time the quote arises will also not affect the richness (or lack thereof) of our intellects.

And so...um...I seem to have forgotten the point I was going to make. Hang on a sec while I google it...

I still love books. I will always love books. They have a natural warmth that a computer monitor simply cannot replicate. Currently readin "Camera Lucida" by French literary critic Roland Bathes.
Just as in art a great piece of literature is supposed to make you think.

Damien, I don't think anyone who's weighing in on this issue has lost their love for books. If anything, I perceive a consistent wistfulness over the loss - to whatever extent - of being able to enjoy books like they once did.

It would be easy to say that these folks can control the influences that are affecting them in this manner, but that overlooks the fact that doing so might entail a change of profession.

I sit at a computer all day at work. My boss is pretty demanding.

I come home and....get on the computer again for an hour or so.

The best time of the day is when everyone has gone to bed, the street noise from the neighborhood is quieter, and all the electronics are turned off. I curl up in the recliner with a good book and immerse myself in whatever world the author delivers me to. A handful of raisins or pretzels , maybe an apple, and some iced tea, and I am good for another hour before bed.

I have more problem leaving a book than picking it up ;-)

Pattie, your routine sounds like a little bit of heaven. Wish I could replicate it!