25 years ago our lives changed.
Can you remember your first search on the internet? Hidden among a multitude of banners, photos and texts, there was a search bar, which gave us information in an encyclopedia-like manner. I remember finding it confusing and not knowing exactly how to use/value this search bar and the information it provided.
25 years ago, Google suddenly appeared, conquering the digital world with just a single search bar and taking us all on a new journey through the jungle of the World Wide Web.
After all, within 0.27 seconds you will receive all search results, ranked/organized by relevance to your search term.
Whether you are looking for a nice restaurant in Amsterdam, a nice campsite, or that new winter coat, before you have time to think about it, the search result will already appear on the screen. Literally within 1 second.
25 years later, we can celebrate that Google has made our lives freer and simpler. I am grateful for all the times that I found a nice restaurant thanks to Google.
Although I must say that I have always discovered the nicest restaurants based on recommendations from conversations with other people. They, and not Google, often led me to the real hidden gems.
Google is the facilitator in many areas, accessible to all of us and has made so much possible. The only question is: what did it cost us?
Google has many benefits, but it can also reduce or change skills that we have traditionally developed as humans. With advanced navigation apps such as Google Maps, we may have become less dependent on developing traditional navigation skills such as reading maps and orienting ourselves to the environment. Or simply trusting our intuition and memory.
We are also less and less inclined to memorize information, which means we put our working memory to the test less. After all, why should we, when Google Search offers instant access to extensive information?!
To what extent do you make conscious choices about the skills you want to retain and the skills you want to downgrade?
You can easily continue to train these skills if you consciously choose to do so. For example, before you leave, study the route before you get on your bike, and ask a stranger for directions if you don't remember... do you still dare to do this?
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