FINAL

Deep Web: Proquest
Search Used- internet AND smarter AND dumber AND shirky (author)
Using this many specifics in my search made the right document be the only result of the search.
A: This article was published by the Wall Street Journal from Dow Jones & Company.
S: Uses examples from unknown sources and known sources.
P: The author is trying to pinpoint if the the internet is making us smart or dumb.
E: Seems to be even between the smart and dumb.
C: Doesn't state that many examples of whether or not the stuff on the net is making people smart or dumb.
T: Recent date of June of last year.

Open Web: Google
Search Used- internet AND smarter AND dumber AND "nicholas carr"
This search method brought the proper article in the Wall Street Journal to the top of the search list.
A: This article was published by the Wall Street Journal which is a reliable publisher.
S: Uses examples from university studies.
P: Looks like the author is trying to define whether or not the internet is making us smart or dumb.
E: Author appears to be taking the "dumber" side of the topic.
C: Covers both examples of how internet can make you smarter or dumber.
T: Recent date of June of last year.

In the article from Nicholas Carr, he references several studies that prove instances that the internet disrupts the learning ability or the material retaining ability of people. The article is not necessarily about whether or not the internet makes us smarter or dumber, it is about the internet having so many features that it distracts people from learning or retaining the material they are reading on the internet. With features like email, popups, and social networking sites, the internet has plenty of ways of distracting people from the information they are getting.
One example in this article that caught my eye was the example that half the students in a class at Cornell University were allowed to use their computers during a lecture while the other half had to keep their laptops shut. During a test about the lecture, the students with the laptops did much worse than the students with the laptops shut. This is proof that the internet can be a major distraction.
The article goes on to prove that the internet scatters our attention while reading a book directs our attention in one direction. This helps us retain information better. With so many examples of studies done and research done on the human brain, this article should sway anyone's opinion on if the internet helps you learn and retain material of if it distracts you. The internet definitely distracts people a bunch!