In 2026, gathering information has never been more convenient. In Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, he discusses how the Net seems to be affecting his ability to concentrate and contemplate. Since its publication in 2008, technology has only advanced. With online sources and AI, a world of information is right at our fingertips.
We Need Answers Now
As technology advances, consumers increasingly expect immediate answers. Carr notes that we “put ‘efficiency’ and ‘immediacy’ above all else.” This phenomenon started with Google. Users could ask questions, and the platform pulls all the sources related to the topic. However, the user then has to sift through the links to find what they were looking for. Over time, this process was viewed as time-consuming. Platforms worked to incorporate AI-generated summaries at the top of web browsers as an alternative to reading individual sources to save users time.
In 2000, the average human attention span was 12 seconds; now it has dropped to 8.25 seconds. That’s lower than a goldfish, which has an attention span of 9 seconds (Bragg). This decline is not only seen in conducting research, but also in media consumption.
On TikTok, the average video length is about 60 seconds. Now, the app includes a feature that lets users play any video at 2x speed, allowing them to consume twice as much content while on the app.
The New York Times implemented a section in every edition that included an outline of each article. Carr notes, “its design director, Tom Bodkin, explained that the ‘shortcuts’ would give harried readers a quick ‘taste’ of the day’s news, sparing them the ‘less efficient’ method of actually turning the pages.” Even a well-established news outlet had to adapt to fulfill a reader’s shorter attention span and expectation of immediate information.
While information is more convenient, are we losing our critical thinking skills?
Convenience Over Research
Before AI technology was directly implemented into our search engines, users would use Google as a tool to find resources. Now, with AI summaries, users get the answer they are looking for without having to click a link.
A 2025 study found that 42% of users claim to trust AI-generated summaries without visiting a website (PR Newswire).
Another study by the European Broadcasting Union, led by the BBC, found that:
- 45% of all AI answers included at least one issue
- 31% of responses showed sourcing issues
- 20% had major accuracy issues
Technology advancements are meant to simplify the user’s lives. Carr writes, “the world we enter when we go online, there’s little place for the fuzziness of contemplation. Ambiguity is not an opening for insight but a bug to be fixed.” However, as the statistics show, you cannot always trust technology to fill those gaps.
What Do We Do Now?
You can’t fight the evolution of technology. There will be an adaptation in how we analyze and receive information. As users, we need to continue critiquing and evaluating information. Just because it’s convenient doesn’t mean it’s accurate.
Resources
Carr, N. (2008). Is Google Making Us Stupid? The Atlantic Monthly, 302(1), 56–63.
LAUREN SCOOPO 