The article I have provided a link for below is quite good even though its title may be somewhat misleading. The deprivation of intelligence because of the ubiquitous use of search engines like Google is not what is addressed primarily in the guts of the article. It is more a listing of the practical issues that the author sees with the current construct and use of search engines.
But I was drawn in by the title, which was something I have been thinking of for a while. I realize that while I have access to a wealth of information because of the existence of the search engine, information that I am also able to freely share with others at the drop of a hat, I am really not getting any smarter because of this. It is questionable whether the amount of information that I can retain in my mind, and the kind of critical thinking that is crucial to my intelligence, have really been helped. In fact, because of the easy availability of information, I might be less inclined to try to figure things out, and even retain information. After all, why would I bother deriving the area of regular dodecagon when needed when all I need to do is look it up on the Internet.
via Google’s search algorithms act as our brains—but what are they trying to get us to think? — Quartz
Splattered Brains 