In The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, the author, Nicholas Carr gives an in-depth description of the advances in technology and what effect these advancements have done to our society. Carr gives examples of the effects of several different types of modern technology but concentrates mostly on the effects of the Internet. This book is particularly persuasive in the way Carr argues and backs his idea with personal experience and opinions. In this paper, I will apply Carr’s idea of the Internet as a medium way people read and process information to my own experiences as a reader. I will focus, specifically, on my reading process; how it is changed, for better or worse, depending on such things as genre and the impact of the
He compares and contrasts how his life was with the Web and without it. For example, “Just as Microsoft Word had turned me into a flesh-and-blood word processor, the Internet, I sensed, was turning me into something like a high-speed data-processing machine, a human HAL (325). The Web has changed him in such a way that he felt like a machine. He wanted to stay connected, therefore, he would yearn to check his e-mail, click links, or explore on Google. He noticed the Net was having a much stronger influence over him than his PC ever had (324).
Is Google Making us stupid? The essay's thesis is: "The following essay appeared in the July/August 2008 issue of The Atlantic.While the title asks if Google is mak- ing us stupid, the essay examines how not just Google, but technology (typewriters, clocks, the Internet) changes the way we think. Nicholas Carr is author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains." Carr begins by writing about how he used to be an avid book reader. It was one of his favorite things to do, but over time he believes the way he thinks changed.
It is shown through the characters names, for the names are often related to important political figures of the early twentieth century. Each character is symbolic of something all his or her own. Helmholtz Watson is sought to be one of the most rebellious characters in the brave new society. He has a conflict within himself but is much interested in others. Much like John B. Watson, the man known for the Little Albert Experiment, Helmholtz is curious, but much too bored with his lifestyle.
He explains how people are on a disadvantage when they rely on e-books rather than books. Carr uses very meticulous instances to illustrate his way of thinking and then he uses his logical discussion to prove that Google is making our lives more “machinelike” and lazier. The instances and references used such as results of reliable studies and opinions from people from a variety of professional background are well-organized, which proves the profound knowledge of the author in many fields. Since this source has strong. Since this article strongly disagrees with those who support the use on internet for daily tasks like reading, this article helps me to lay my argument that internet deteriorates our reading ability.
Essay #4 3/31/14 Cause and Effect A book is something that might be taken for granted, due to the Internet and computers. Some people do not have patience to read books fully and they either use the Internet or just skim through books. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr is a novel that explains some of the things that have helped reading to evolve. Many things like the printing press, books, maps, the typewriter, the Internet, and the Greek alphabet have helped reading to evolve. The printing press is what caused books to become popular.
In the article Shirky establishes the point that we are now going through a similar growth in our publishing capability as we had in our past. This capability, according to Shirky, enables us to create new “education resources” such as Wikipedia and Patients like Me. The article also shows how there is much nonsense out there and points towards further historical references of people who were against the widespread availability of knowledge, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Martin Luther King Jr. Yet this article goes on to say that these “pessimists'” awe of the past was unfounded, compared to the present in which people went towards pointless content as well if not more. Shirky points out that in the end the increase in the freedom and availability to make content is a positive change even though it comes with “dumb videos and erotic novels” (Shirky).
They can choose to engage in deep thinking activities. Too much of anything is not good for any one, and this also applies to internet usage. Scholars say that the price of technology is alienation and that this indicates that the more distracted an individual becomes, the less able they are to experience human emotions such as empathy and compassion. It is still too early to tell what the results of the future effects of the internet, but as Carr states, “An intellectual technology exerts its influence by shifting the emphasis of our thought. As the brain adapts to the new medium, the most profound changes will take place over several generations’
Kanoe Kaaa October 14, 2011 English 12:00 MWF Technology & the Media Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley are both about technology and entertainment in which both authors have different views as to how the evolution of media and technology affects human connection and emotion. Both writers hold the view that man can manipulate and control a whole society. Huxley through his cloned people who are created to fulfill specific functions of this antiseptic world and Postman who sees man’s invention of technology and the views generated as a result, as revolutionizing all aspects of human society. Their approach to this idea is different in that Huxley, in order to make his world work, keeps his people distracted and controlled through brainwashing techniques and distractions, such as pleasures of the flesh. As for Postman, his view is that inventions, such as TV and other technical devices saturates us with stimuli to promote views that are not the social norms of a given period, has contributed to shaping changes in which we think and act accordingly.
Today, the internet is one of the most powerful tools throughout the world. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” in the magazine The Atlantic, the author, Nicholas Carr, recounts his complications with concentration while reading extended articles and books. He claims these difficulties may be caused by an increased time on the internet. He thinks it changes the way we think and it is affecting our brain. People are losing concentration easier than before internet was created.