The information available on the internet is not making us stupid, necessarily. It actually aids in making human kind more efficient. Now, what you choose to do with all of the extra time gained from not having to spend hours upon hours in a library doing research is completely up to the individual. Sure we have taken hold of this internet and seem to use it as a crutch, but who would turn a gift horse in the mouth if it is going to save you from the Dewey Decimal system.
Computers have, of course, become an integral part in today's society. The fear that they may one day take over the world is completely ridiculous. I do not see the world becoming a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey, like Carr mentions in the beginning of his article. Think of it this way, when cars and cell phones and other modern technologies were invented humanity did not live in fear. They, instead, adapted to their presence and do not plan on going back to a world before these conveniences.
As a class we seem to have this idea of adaptation under complete control. Of course each individual has their list of frequently visited sites, but in most cases we are using the internet for the same basic reasons. Some just prefer different search engines, for example. But the fact is we all have a need to, at one time or another, scour the infinite resources of the internet.
So, the internet and computers in general are not designed to take over our lives and make us mindless robots or anything. The intention is to make it easier to gain access to information at the drop of a hat in hopes of making life just a little less chaotic and complex.
