The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains
byNicholas G. Carr
Nicholas gives us great context and a timeline of change and innovation on the many technologies that have had a profound impact on society and how it has increased human capabilities. The change that takes place on an individual level is the digital world reshaping out mind to adapt better to the newly rich and fast experiences we are exposed to today. However, more access to information doesn't mean we acquire more knowledge. Nicholas believes that the internet has created a habit loop in which we seek interruptions, in the form of new information, which we scan through eating away at our focus and fragmenting out thoughts. The Shallows brings to light our diminishing attention spans, comprehension and free form thinking skills as our brain seeks out shortcuts to acquiring information often lacking depth and quality.
Motivations to Read
The tools we use can the way we think and behave. The most impactful tool in our era has been the internet. It is engrained into our everyday lives and will continue to shape the way we live. There has also been a flood of information on the internet, and I've always been curious about what that effect could have on our minds and how we would act once we're discounted from the internet. I picked up the shallowed to be informed on a scientific and psychological level about technologies effects on the mind.
3 Reasons to Read
- Explore how human thought has been shaped over the centuries by tools of the mind- from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and now the computer
- Arguments into how the internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources, leading to less attention, focus and shallower thought
- We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection; new cases of ADD are developing and we are becoming addicted to the internet
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains Notes & Summary
