The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
by Nicholas Carr
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Description
As we enjoy the Internet's bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply? Carr describes how human thought has been shaped through the centuries by "tools of the mind"--from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and the computer--and interweaves recent discoveries in neuroscience. Now, he expands his argument into a compelling exploration of the Internet's intellectual and cultural consequences. Our brains, scientific evidence reveals, change in response show more to our experiences. Building on insights of thinkers from Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a case that every information technology carries a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. The printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In contrast, the Internet encourages rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information. As we become ever more adept at scanning and skimming, are we losing our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection?--From publisher description. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
StephenBarkley Carr refers to McLuhan's landmark work throughout his book.
50
BenTreat If you found Carr's work overly broad and unfocused, you may enjoy reading this book, which is focused on the author's own studies of traditional-aged college students.
infiniteletters Clay Shirky and Nicholas Carr have very different perspectives about the Internet; read both for the pros and cons.
12
themulhern Both books are about social media and connectedness turning people into bad decision makers.
Member Reviews
I started this book while I was on a cruise. Ironically, I found it fascinating and a fairly fast read when I was on vacation (without my phone, laptop or an internet connection) but upon returning home (and to my internet), this book turned into a thinky read that was a bit slower to get through (but still managed to stay interesting).
Anyway, basic premise: our brains change constantly because of the things we do(and don't do). Technology like the clock, the printing press, the typewriter and now the internet have changed how we interact with the world around us and thus have changed our brains.
Some interesting (to me, at least) bits:
Anyway, basic premise: our brains change constantly because of the things we do(and don't do). Technology like the clock, the printing press, the typewriter and now the internet have changed how we interact with the world around us and thus have changed our brains.
Some interesting (to me, at least) bits:
[In the study, the participants'] brains had changed in response to actions that took place purely inshow more
their imagination—in response, that is, to their thoughts.... We become, neurologically, what we think. (p38)Do I now think the internet is evil? No, it's really not an internet bashing book. It does, however, encourage me to keep up with my attempted "real book" reading (and to tear myself away from the computer). show less
As a group of Northwestern University professors wrote in a 2005 article in the Annual Review of Sociology, the recent changes in our reading habits suggest that the “era of mass [book] reading” was a brief “anomaly” in our intellectual history: “We are now seeing such reading return to its former social base: a self-perpetuating minority that we shall call the reading class.” (p117)
...when we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning. (p124)
...frequent interruptions scatter our thoughts, weaken our memory, and make us tense and anxious. (p141)
Many studies have shown that switching between just two tasks can add substantially to our cognitive load, impeding our thinking and increasing the likelihood that we’ll overlook or misinterpret important information. (p142)
As the many studies of hypertext and multimedia show, our ability to learn can be severely compromised when our brains become overloaded with diverse stimuli online. More information can mean less knowledge. (p228)
...“every medium develops some cognitive skills at the expense of others.” Our growing use of the Net and other screen-based technologies has led to the “widespread and sophisticated development of visual-spatial skills.” We can, for example, rotate objects in our minds better than we used to be able to. But our “new strengths in visual-spatial intelligence” go hand in hand with a weakening of our capacities for the kind of “deep processing” that underpins “mindful knowledge acquisition, inductive analysis, critical thinking, imagination, and reflection.” (p152)
“What the net seems to be doing is chipping away my ability for concentration and contemplation. Whether I’m online or not my mind now expects to take in information in the way the net distributes it, in a constantly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words, now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski.”
The author expresses concern that the internet is reducing our ability to process and retain information. He cites many scientific studies to make his point that it is, in fact, rewiring our brains. He examines the many distractions offered by the internet, and how following hyperlinks can result in an unexpected adverse impact on memory.
“When we read a book, the information faucet provides show more a steady drip, which we can control by the pace of our reading. Through our single-minded concentration on the text, we can transfer all or most of the information into long-term memory and forge the rich associations essential to the creation of schemas. With the net we face many information faucets all going full blast.”
In addition to brain science, he relates a history of communications. It is quite informative about the history of language, alphabets, early printing presses, books, the typewriter, word processing. Each of these advances have impacted the way humans process information. He looks at trends in writing and publishing. I sincerely hope his statements about the future of the book (in any format) does not come to pass. This book was published in 2010, so I imagine what has happened since then would reinforce his message.
Prior to reading this book, I had already quit all social media except Goodreads. The author does not advocate such “extreme” measures, but my peace of mind has improved immensely. This is definitely a book that will prompt people to reevaluate their usage of the internet.
“It would not be rash to suggest that as the net reroutes our vital paths and diminishes our capacity for contemplation, it is altering the depth of our emotions as well as our thoughts.” show less
The author expresses concern that the internet is reducing our ability to process and retain information. He cites many scientific studies to make his point that it is, in fact, rewiring our brains. He examines the many distractions offered by the internet, and how following hyperlinks can result in an unexpected adverse impact on memory.
“When we read a book, the information faucet provides show more a steady drip, which we can control by the pace of our reading. Through our single-minded concentration on the text, we can transfer all or most of the information into long-term memory and forge the rich associations essential to the creation of schemas. With the net we face many information faucets all going full blast.”
In addition to brain science, he relates a history of communications. It is quite informative about the history of language, alphabets, early printing presses, books, the typewriter, word processing. Each of these advances have impacted the way humans process information. He looks at trends in writing and publishing. I sincerely hope his statements about the future of the book (in any format) does not come to pass. This book was published in 2010, so I imagine what has happened since then would reinforce his message.
Prior to reading this book, I had already quit all social media except Goodreads. The author does not advocate such “extreme” measures, but my peace of mind has improved immensely. This is definitely a book that will prompt people to reevaluate their usage of the internet.
“It would not be rash to suggest that as the net reroutes our vital paths and diminishes our capacity for contemplation, it is altering the depth of our emotions as well as our thoughts.” show less
A thought-provoking book, although it does jump around quite a bit, with chapters about the evil of Google and a history of memory. All of the diversions were well researched and well written, though, so I really didn't mind them. In fact I think the chapter about memory was one of my favorites.Anyway, the gist of Carr's argument is that prolific use of the Internet changes the brain in such a way as to make it more difficult for complicated and deep thinking. I tend to agree with him, as I've felt some of the same things. When I sit down to read a book, I often feel jumpy. Sometimes I'll skim text and have a hard time focusing. All of this is unavoidable to a point for me, because I work at home and I'm necessarily on the Internet all show more day. But in my off-hours I'm going to try to stay away from the Internet as much as possible. Of course, right now it's 8 a.m. on a Saturday and I'm on the Internet writing this. So the plan is failing thus far. show less
At the risk of politicizing a book that has nothing to do with politics, the Shallows really helps explain my frustration with the past election. The premise of the book is that our internet browsing habits are stripping us of the deep contemplative thinking skills that were a hallmark of civilization since the creation of writing. In the last election, there were amazingly important issues to discuss about the environment, drone warfare, and budget deficits, but the actual debate was dominated by trivial gotcha memes like "binders full of women" and "you didn't build that."
As an author, this is one of the most depressing books I've ever read, tracking very closely with my fear that book readers will become increasingly rare. But, if show more you value your own brain and want to devolop strategies to preserve it from the ever growing assault of distraction and trivia that our culture throws at it, this book is a must read. show less
As an author, this is one of the most depressing books I've ever read, tracking very closely with my fear that book readers will become increasingly rare. But, if show more you value your own brain and want to devolop strategies to preserve it from the ever growing assault of distraction and trivia that our culture throws at it, this book is a must read. show less
In our age of twitter, blogging, TV, Facebook, etc. we have instant access to almost anything we want. Yet we can’t seem to focus on any of those things for very long. In Carr’s nonfiction book, he looks at the reason behind this change and the history of media development over centuries.
The book begins with the effect continuous internet use has on our attention span and ability to focus. Then he quickly dives into the history of language and books themselves. He goes all the way back to the history of clocks, writing, newspaper and the impact each of these new inventions had on society.
It’s funny; I started to loose interest in the book in the first third when the author was recapping the history of communication. I was doing show more exactly what he was talking about; failing to focus on something and wanting to move quickly to the next thing. Soon it reeled me back in and I was fascinating by the discussion, but it was interesting to realize I wasn’t focusing on the material very well.
I loved reading about other “technology” scares in the past. At one point, when newspapers became popular, people predicted that books were on the way out and people would only read newspapers. It happened again with the invention of radio, TV and finally computers; yet books have somehow managed to hang on and remain a staple in our society.
Carr also mention that some people are predicting we might return to a “reading class” society, where only a tiny minority still reads books. That’s a terrifying thought to me. I feel like we’ve already turned into a society where only a small minority read classics for fun, I hope we can at least maintain that.
One of my favorite things I learned in the book was that Erasmus recommended all readers carry around “commonplace books.” These were small notebooks that you could write quotes from what you were reading in. The commonplace books would eventually become a “chronicle of his intellectual development.” I’ve always done this without knowing it had a name. I keep small moleskin notebooks and fill them with quotes from things I’m reading. Over the years the form of the notebook has occasionally changed, but I’ve always maintained one. I think it’s wonderful that this was a concept originated by Erasmus and that he saw it as a way to keep track of the quality and depth of what a person was reading.
In the end, the conclusion is that the internet is not bad. It has some wonderful benefits and can exercise your mind in wonderful ways, but like anything else in life, moderation is the key. If you spend all of your time in front of a computer screen (which is incredibly easy to do), you will lose some of your cognitive functions and the ability to concentrate on a single thing at a time.
BOTTOM LINE: I think that this is one of those books that would spark fascinating discussions. I’d recommend it for book clubs or for anyone who is interested in the history and development of media.
“It is the very fact that book reading under stimulates the senses that makes the activity so intellectually rewarding. By allowing us to filter out distractions, to quiet the problem solving functions on the frontal lobe, deep reading becomes a form of deep thinking.”
“What we’re experiencing is, in a metaphorical sense, a reversal of the early trajectory of civilization. We are evolving from being cultivators of personal knowledge to being hunters and gatherers in the electronic data forest.”
"As we externalize problem solving and other cognitive chores to our computers we reduce our brain's ability to build stable knowledge structures, schemas, that later can be applied in new situations. In other words the brighter the software, the dimmer the user."
"What makes us most human is what is least computable about us, the connections between our mind and our body, the experiences that shape our memory and our thinking, our capacity for emotion and empathy." show less
The book begins with the effect continuous internet use has on our attention span and ability to focus. Then he quickly dives into the history of language and books themselves. He goes all the way back to the history of clocks, writing, newspaper and the impact each of these new inventions had on society.
It’s funny; I started to loose interest in the book in the first third when the author was recapping the history of communication. I was doing show more exactly what he was talking about; failing to focus on something and wanting to move quickly to the next thing. Soon it reeled me back in and I was fascinating by the discussion, but it was interesting to realize I wasn’t focusing on the material very well.
I loved reading about other “technology” scares in the past. At one point, when newspapers became popular, people predicted that books were on the way out and people would only read newspapers. It happened again with the invention of radio, TV and finally computers; yet books have somehow managed to hang on and remain a staple in our society.
Carr also mention that some people are predicting we might return to a “reading class” society, where only a tiny minority still reads books. That’s a terrifying thought to me. I feel like we’ve already turned into a society where only a small minority read classics for fun, I hope we can at least maintain that.
One of my favorite things I learned in the book was that Erasmus recommended all readers carry around “commonplace books.” These were small notebooks that you could write quotes from what you were reading in. The commonplace books would eventually become a “chronicle of his intellectual development.” I’ve always done this without knowing it had a name. I keep small moleskin notebooks and fill them with quotes from things I’m reading. Over the years the form of the notebook has occasionally changed, but I’ve always maintained one. I think it’s wonderful that this was a concept originated by Erasmus and that he saw it as a way to keep track of the quality and depth of what a person was reading.
In the end, the conclusion is that the internet is not bad. It has some wonderful benefits and can exercise your mind in wonderful ways, but like anything else in life, moderation is the key. If you spend all of your time in front of a computer screen (which is incredibly easy to do), you will lose some of your cognitive functions and the ability to concentrate on a single thing at a time.
BOTTOM LINE: I think that this is one of those books that would spark fascinating discussions. I’d recommend it for book clubs or for anyone who is interested in the history and development of media.
“It is the very fact that book reading under stimulates the senses that makes the activity so intellectually rewarding. By allowing us to filter out distractions, to quiet the problem solving functions on the frontal lobe, deep reading becomes a form of deep thinking.”
“What we’re experiencing is, in a metaphorical sense, a reversal of the early trajectory of civilization. We are evolving from being cultivators of personal knowledge to being hunters and gatherers in the electronic data forest.”
"As we externalize problem solving and other cognitive chores to our computers we reduce our brain's ability to build stable knowledge structures, schemas, that later can be applied in new situations. In other words the brighter the software, the dimmer the user."
"What makes us most human is what is least computable about us, the connections between our mind and our body, the experiences that shape our memory and our thinking, our capacity for emotion and empathy." show less
I have updated this article in an attempt to seamlessly include my review of the second half of the book.
Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows” discusses the fallout from the Internet’s rapid conquest of the human mind. The first half of the book gives an accessible account of how major technological advancements in the past have drastically altered humanity’s use of the brain. After a sometimes laborious, yet always relevant history lesson, Carr’s thesis begins to take shape. “Most Americans, no matter what their age, spend at least eight and a hours a day looking at a television, a computer monitor, or the screen of their mobile phone. Frequently, they use two or even three of the devices simultaneously” (89). By the midpoint show more of the book, his history and biology lessons give way to revelations of his personal insight on the topic. Carr argues that this utterly complete reliance on “screens” is physiologically changing the qualities of our brain, and that we should be wary of the degree to which we chase life changing technological advances as their achievement may in fact be stymying some of our most cherished faculties like focus and creativity. His well established argument launched a family debate as to whether or not to cancel our AT&T subscription, but like Carr, we found our thirst for technology too strong to neglect.
Carr argues that the degeneration of our ability to apply ourselves cognitively in a long, focused manner directly results from our computer and Internet usage. This is something that I have realized for years, but never had articulated to me before this book. In short, I am a believer. As a child, I spent my summers reading contently and voraciously; I remember reading the LOTR trilogy in five quiet days. Carr explains, “What was so remarkable about book reading was that the deep concentration was combined with the highly active and efficient deciphering of text and interpretation of meaning” (64). I’m not sure that I have the ability to be that still and quiet anymore, focusing on one topic like that for so long. Even while writing assignments for UNO, I find myself checking Nola, CNN and ESPN headlines every fifteen minutes to check back in on the world. It’s amazing how much up-to-the-minute information I can get in two minutes from my bookmarks bar, and how much I have come to rely on and desire it.
So, is this subconscious obsession a bad thing? “The Shallows” resoundingly answers yes. I love the quote from Leo de Forest about how the great invention, radio, was partly detrimental to our collective intellectual capacities. “A melancholy view of our national mental level is obtained from a survey of the moronic quality of the majority of today’s radio programs” (80). This is how I feel about today's misuse of technology, i.e. Twitter, Jersey Shore and the Kardashians. I will never stoop to "tweeting". It’s concept and usage is simply too shallow and “moronic.” And as for poisoning our youth from all angles with anti-heroes like Kim Kardashian and Mike "The Situation," it seems that we are slowly creating a society filled with valueless imbeciles (that is slightly off topic, but actually much more concerning).
As he points out at the end of the book, Carr is not the only one who has noticed this circumstance. David Levy's "Scrolling Forward" gets three references in "The Shallows," and they all align pertinently with Carr's focus. From Levy, “We glance at road signs, menus, headlines, shopping lists, the labels of products in stores. “The forms of reading,” tend to be shallow and of brief duration.” They’re the types of reading we share with our distant ancestors who deciphered the marks scratched on pebbles and potsherds” (73). Both men observe a deconstruction of the processes we have employed to attain lasting knowledge.
Carr frequently uses metaphors that are particularly strong and illuminating. His text can be weighed down by too much factual information and redundant examples at times, yet his ability to relate the gist of long discussion through metaphorical examples keeps the book engaging and readable. An example, "It also turns us into lab rats constantly pressing levers to get tiny pellets of social or intellectual nourishment" (117). The reader can clearly understand his description of how Facebook's reward system becomes engrained in our lives by simply relating it to a well-known experiment (maybe if we got a little shock every time we logged onto Facebook, we might overcome the addiction). Another example, "We're able to transfer only a small portion of the information to long-term memory, and what we do transfer is a jumble of drops from different faucets, not a continuous, coherent stream from one source" (125). His ability to summarize large passages of information into one topical or concluding sentence proves helpful, and maybe reflects our need for information to be presented briefly.
Carr reminded me of my collegiate observation of a lack of cultural depth in the densely populated, endless suburban landscapes of Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and how the universalization of our cognitive input through television and social media combined with international efforts to corporatize and compartmentalize every aspect of our daily experiences tends to breed an increased proportion of thoughtless, like-minded nitwits (to be fair Louisiana has our share of nitwits). We need to develop unique, deep trains of thought and have individualized experiences in order to make novel impacts on our culture and society. Carr says, "Culture is more than the aggregate of what Google describes as "the world's information." It's more than what can be reduced to binary code and uploaded onto the Net. To remain vital, culture must be renewed in the minds of the members of every generation. Outsource memory, and culture withers." (197). Our society begins to lose its identity when technology is too heavily relied on.
At the end of his book, after revealing his uneasiness with Google's endeavors and hesitancy towards artificial intelligence, we get some brief summative statements concerning his feelings about the Internet in the afterword. These conclusions fell short of my expectations. The reader learns that, "People seem to be looking for ways to loosen technology's grip on their lives and thoughts" (226), but that idyllic argument is hardly supported, and later Carr thoroughly disproves that self-proclaimed "fantasy" (228) with some jarring Internet usage statistics. And even after that admittance, the reader is left with, "It's a small boat. But there's still plenty of room inside. Feel free to grab an oar" (228). The argument would have been a little more convincing if I felt like the author was making any attempt to limit technology in his life. It would be nice if Carr practiced what he preached. But the Colorado Internet rationing experiment he undertook during the book's writing proved to be completely temporary. He lists all of devices that he uses regularly, and then admits, "I have to confess; it's cool. I'm not sure I could live without it" (200). This careful, lukewarm stance may be the difference between Pulitzer and nomination. "The Shallows" is too consistently biased to be considered a journalistic effort, so why not just go for it? By the end of the book, the topic feel critical and urgent, yet the reader receives no impassioned call to arms. I expected a calculated offering of how exactly pursue a healthy disconnect, but found no such procedure. Also, I would have enjoyed some specific predictions about long term effects, maybe highlighting our impending doom or something of that nature.
It seems as though Carr has truly done his homework. I am very fond of his numbered source approach. In my opinion, it is the most efficient and accessible sourcing choice and I will employ it in any nonfiction I write in the future (i.e. biographical sketch). show less
Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows” discusses the fallout from the Internet’s rapid conquest of the human mind. The first half of the book gives an accessible account of how major technological advancements in the past have drastically altered humanity’s use of the brain. After a sometimes laborious, yet always relevant history lesson, Carr’s thesis begins to take shape. “Most Americans, no matter what their age, spend at least eight and a hours a day looking at a television, a computer monitor, or the screen of their mobile phone. Frequently, they use two or even three of the devices simultaneously” (89). By the midpoint show more of the book, his history and biology lessons give way to revelations of his personal insight on the topic. Carr argues that this utterly complete reliance on “screens” is physiologically changing the qualities of our brain, and that we should be wary of the degree to which we chase life changing technological advances as their achievement may in fact be stymying some of our most cherished faculties like focus and creativity. His well established argument launched a family debate as to whether or not to cancel our AT&T subscription, but like Carr, we found our thirst for technology too strong to neglect.
Carr argues that the degeneration of our ability to apply ourselves cognitively in a long, focused manner directly results from our computer and Internet usage. This is something that I have realized for years, but never had articulated to me before this book. In short, I am a believer. As a child, I spent my summers reading contently and voraciously; I remember reading the LOTR trilogy in five quiet days. Carr explains, “What was so remarkable about book reading was that the deep concentration was combined with the highly active and efficient deciphering of text and interpretation of meaning” (64). I’m not sure that I have the ability to be that still and quiet anymore, focusing on one topic like that for so long. Even while writing assignments for UNO, I find myself checking Nola, CNN and ESPN headlines every fifteen minutes to check back in on the world. It’s amazing how much up-to-the-minute information I can get in two minutes from my bookmarks bar, and how much I have come to rely on and desire it.
So, is this subconscious obsession a bad thing? “The Shallows” resoundingly answers yes. I love the quote from Leo de Forest about how the great invention, radio, was partly detrimental to our collective intellectual capacities. “A melancholy view of our national mental level is obtained from a survey of the moronic quality of the majority of today’s radio programs” (80). This is how I feel about today's misuse of technology, i.e. Twitter, Jersey Shore and the Kardashians. I will never stoop to "tweeting". It’s concept and usage is simply too shallow and “moronic.” And as for poisoning our youth from all angles with anti-heroes like Kim Kardashian and Mike "The Situation," it seems that we are slowly creating a society filled with valueless imbeciles (that is slightly off topic, but actually much more concerning).
As he points out at the end of the book, Carr is not the only one who has noticed this circumstance. David Levy's "Scrolling Forward" gets three references in "The Shallows," and they all align pertinently with Carr's focus. From Levy, “We glance at road signs, menus, headlines, shopping lists, the labels of products in stores. “The forms of reading,” tend to be shallow and of brief duration.” They’re the types of reading we share with our distant ancestors who deciphered the marks scratched on pebbles and potsherds” (73). Both men observe a deconstruction of the processes we have employed to attain lasting knowledge.
Carr frequently uses metaphors that are particularly strong and illuminating. His text can be weighed down by too much factual information and redundant examples at times, yet his ability to relate the gist of long discussion through metaphorical examples keeps the book engaging and readable. An example, "It also turns us into lab rats constantly pressing levers to get tiny pellets of social or intellectual nourishment" (117). The reader can clearly understand his description of how Facebook's reward system becomes engrained in our lives by simply relating it to a well-known experiment (maybe if we got a little shock every time we logged onto Facebook, we might overcome the addiction). Another example, "We're able to transfer only a small portion of the information to long-term memory, and what we do transfer is a jumble of drops from different faucets, not a continuous, coherent stream from one source" (125). His ability to summarize large passages of information into one topical or concluding sentence proves helpful, and maybe reflects our need for information to be presented briefly.
Carr reminded me of my collegiate observation of a lack of cultural depth in the densely populated, endless suburban landscapes of Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and how the universalization of our cognitive input through television and social media combined with international efforts to corporatize and compartmentalize every aspect of our daily experiences tends to breed an increased proportion of thoughtless, like-minded nitwits (to be fair Louisiana has our share of nitwits). We need to develop unique, deep trains of thought and have individualized experiences in order to make novel impacts on our culture and society. Carr says, "Culture is more than the aggregate of what Google describes as "the world's information." It's more than what can be reduced to binary code and uploaded onto the Net. To remain vital, culture must be renewed in the minds of the members of every generation. Outsource memory, and culture withers." (197). Our society begins to lose its identity when technology is too heavily relied on.
At the end of his book, after revealing his uneasiness with Google's endeavors and hesitancy towards artificial intelligence, we get some brief summative statements concerning his feelings about the Internet in the afterword. These conclusions fell short of my expectations. The reader learns that, "People seem to be looking for ways to loosen technology's grip on their lives and thoughts" (226), but that idyllic argument is hardly supported, and later Carr thoroughly disproves that self-proclaimed "fantasy" (228) with some jarring Internet usage statistics. And even after that admittance, the reader is left with, "It's a small boat. But there's still plenty of room inside. Feel free to grab an oar" (228). The argument would have been a little more convincing if I felt like the author was making any attempt to limit technology in his life. It would be nice if Carr practiced what he preached. But the Colorado Internet rationing experiment he undertook during the book's writing proved to be completely temporary. He lists all of devices that he uses regularly, and then admits, "I have to confess; it's cool. I'm not sure I could live without it" (200). This careful, lukewarm stance may be the difference between Pulitzer and nomination. "The Shallows" is too consistently biased to be considered a journalistic effort, so why not just go for it? By the end of the book, the topic feel critical and urgent, yet the reader receives no impassioned call to arms. I expected a calculated offering of how exactly pursue a healthy disconnect, but found no such procedure. Also, I would have enjoyed some specific predictions about long term effects, maybe highlighting our impending doom or something of that nature.
It seems as though Carr has truly done his homework. I am very fond of his numbered source approach. In my opinion, it is the most efficient and accessible sourcing choice and I will employ it in any nonfiction I write in the future (i.e. biographical sketch). show less
I skimmed this book a lot when I was trying to find a chapter to pull out and teach to my students (as a companion to M. T. Anderson's novel Feed, which covers the same topic in many ways). I knew that Carr would hate me for that, so I resolved the read the whole book some day. I'm glad I did; this is a very effective expansion of Carr's notorious article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"
Carr lines up his ducks quite nicely. He starts by demonstrating that the way we think is shaped by the way we read, and that the way we read is shaped by the technologies we possess, by giving a broad overview of the history of print, heavily drawing on Marshall McLuhan, Walter Ong, and Elizabeth Eistenstein. There were a lot of things I knew here, but show more also ones I didn't-- loved the assertion (I think it came from Ong) that we couldn't have had the scientific revolution without the printing press. From there, he discusses research into how we think is presently being reshaped by the Internet and other electronic technologies. It's hard not to argue with any of his conclusions-- these things are almost certainly happening. Sometimes his arguments boil down to "McLuhan was right all along," but given that we've forgotten that, it's worth repeating.
What are we to do about it? That's where I wish that Carr had gone further. It's fine for his article to not delve into potential actions, but in a book-length work it seems like something of an oversight and misstep. I'm trying to cut down on my Internet use, for what it's worth, but that's hard to do with a brain like mine in a world like ours. show less
Carr lines up his ducks quite nicely. He starts by demonstrating that the way we think is shaped by the way we read, and that the way we read is shaped by the technologies we possess, by giving a broad overview of the history of print, heavily drawing on Marshall McLuhan, Walter Ong, and Elizabeth Eistenstein. There were a lot of things I knew here, but show more also ones I didn't-- loved the assertion (I think it came from Ong) that we couldn't have had the scientific revolution without the printing press. From there, he discusses research into how we think is presently being reshaped by the Internet and other electronic technologies. It's hard not to argue with any of his conclusions-- these things are almost certainly happening. Sometimes his arguments boil down to "McLuhan was right all along," but given that we've forgotten that, it's worth repeating.
What are we to do about it? That's where I wish that Carr had gone further. It's fine for his article to not delve into potential actions, but in a book-length work it seems like something of an oversight and misstep. I'm trying to cut down on my Internet use, for what it's worth, but that's hard to do with a brain like mine in a world like ours. show less
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ThingScore 75
Like the majority of contemporary books, then, The Shallows does not justify its length: its natural form was always that of a pithy provocation, so as an argument for the superiority of book-length prose it is rather self-defeating.
added by mikeg2
Carr’s ability to crosscut between cognitive studies involving monkeys and eerily prescient prefigurations of the modern computer opens a line of inquiry into the relationship between human and technology. Hopefully, other writers will follow.
added by lorax
His new book is an expanded survey of the science and history of human cognition. ... Mr Carr’s contribution is to offer the most readable overview of the science to date. It is clearly not intended as a jeremiad. Yet halfway through, he can’t quite help but blurt out that the impact of this browsing on our brains is “even more disturbing” than he thought.
added by tim.taylor
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Books for HS summer reading
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Non-Fiction
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181 works; 1 member
Author Information
12+ Works 5,384 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
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Belongs to Publisher Series
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Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Internet ci rende stupidi? Come la rete sta cambiando il nostro cervello
- Original title
- The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
- Alternate titles
- The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember
- Original publication date
- 2010
- Epigraph
- And in the midst of this wide quietness
A rosy sanctuary will I dress
With the wreath'd trellis of a working brain...
- JOHN KEATS, "Ode to Psyche" - Dedication
- to my mother
and in memory of my father - First words
- In 1964, just as the Beatles were launching their invasion of America's airwaves, Marshall McLuhan published Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man and transformed himself from an obscure academic into a star.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)That's the essence of Kubrick's dark prophecy: as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence.
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 612.80285
- Canonical LCC
- QP360.C377
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Technology, Sociology, General Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 612.80285 — Applied Science & Technology Medicine & health Human Body Systems Nervous system Nervous System Action of Nervous System on Chemic Phenomena
- LCC
- QP360 .C377 — Science Physiology Physiology Neurophysiology and neuropsychology
- BISAC
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