Is Google even helpful anymore?

I will admit to being guilty for using Google for school work quite often. It is fast and easy to access in a very short amount of time. However, when in need for information regarding a project, I tend to turn to books. I prefer the original documents, autobiographies, letters, and the official records because they are primary sources. Then I turn to secondary sources textbooks, articles, and encyclopedias.

Google is without a doubt one of the most commonly used secondary sources. Like I said earlier, it is fast, easy to access, and gives you the answer within the first page of results. But honestly, how much of that information is usable or easy to read? Whenever someone wants to research a topic, they rely on the speed of their Internet to determine what options will be the best and give them the most utilizable information. Realistically, the need for information is not over when the search results appear on one's screen. They still must look at the links given and decide which one gives the better and more accurate description on the researched topic. So what is the point of Google if it only does half of the work? While it is good that the person must still use their analytical and observative skills, the whole purpose of Google is to give you an answer. In addition to this, websites shown on Google that do not contribute any useful information concerning the topic researched should not show up as a helpful source. Wikipedia is a good example of a website that a good portion of the time is not helpful and gives off false information. Due to the fact it can be edited by anyone, the information stated there is not reliable and highly doubted. How many people use Wikipedia and put false information into their research paper?

Nicholas Carr does have a point in saying that the Internet does affect us. Google has also clouded our judgment and decayed our ability to determine what is useful and what is not. So is Google really as helpful as it seems?