Information used to be acquired by reading books, having conversations, and asking questions. In the era we live in today, the internet has introduced an easier, much faster way of finding what it is that we need. For instance, research, job hunting, shopping, and finding friendships can all be attained on the Internet. It is a fact that readings were used to obtain data but now that we have internet access people barely use that source. Do individuals learn as much when they read online as they do reading a physical book? In the articles “Excerpt from Phaedrus,” by Plato and “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains,” by Nicholas Carr the authors feel that sticking to the old-fashioned way of learning, which is by verbally exchanging ideas and news between one another and reading physical books is the most effective way of achieving information. I think there are both similarities and differences between reading printed text and reading internet text. Reading internet texts can be beneficial in some cases. But so can reading printed text and voicing information.
Primarily, data is simpler to access than at any other time due to the internet. For example, the internet can be helpful for those who have vision problems. Individuals have the option to change font sizes and adjust the brightness if they need to. On the other hand, there is no option but to get prescription glasses when reading a physical book. Another benefit is that it is faster to find what you want on the internet, with just a click of a button one can find what they are looking for. There are multiple sources to choose from, that may give you a better understanding of a certain topic. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Carr states, “Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes. A few Google searches, some quick clicks on hyperlinks, and I’ve got the telltale fact or pithy quote I was after”(1). This quote means information is easy to come by due to the internet and its multiple domains of sources. The Internet makes things easier for individuals, not necessarily better.
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Secondly, reading printed text and verbally introducing information can stimulate the mind, improve memory as well as concentration, and better one's writing skills. When speaking with a group of people, individuals can actually ask questions to get a better understanding of what is being taught. In the article “Excerpt from Phaedrus,” Socrates states, “On the other hand, if a man has nothing more valuable than what he has composed or written, spending long hours twisting it around, pasting parts together and taking them apart-wouldn’t you be right to call him a poet or a speech writer or an author of laws?” (5). This implies that when you write your work one can easily plagiarize it and use it as theirs. When you orally communicate, you can exchange information and convey thoughts, with everyone walking away with their own understanding of what was communicated. Physical text and internet-based text differ and have their own advantages, yet individuals all have their own preferences.
As a final point, the internet is an extraordinary device that gives numerous chances to complete work, yet it is famous for being a big distraction for individuals. The primary issue is that little distractions from the internet become a significant issue for efficiency. The web has caused individuals to become less efficient in regards to reading an extensive text. In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” Carr states, “Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy...Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages...I think I know what’s going on. For more than a decade now, I’ve been spending a lot of time online, searching and surfing and sometimes adding to the great databases of the Internet” (1). This is saying that individuals' attention spans decrease due to internet use. Even though it is easy to attain, all of that information isn’t good for our brains, and it’s making us too lazy to work hard for our information.
Clearly, there are both similarities and dissimilarities when it comes to reading printed text and vocally presenting data. I believe verbal communication is better than written information because it is unrecorded. Oral Communication is the oldest method for communicating, which is most regularly used. Therefore individuals should stick to the old way of communicating because it is the most effective.
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