From The Shallows Essay

The internet has changed the way we live our daily lives. It changed the way we socialize and has impacted the way we communicate. In the New York Times article, “Addicted to Distractions” by Tony Schwartz, it discusses how the author realized that his addiction to the internet prevented him from creating personal goals that will benefit him. For example, our author found himself one evening reading the same paragraph repetitively before concluding that he just can’t simply focus on the content of the book. This horrified the author because he once found pleasure in reading books, and now instead of reading them he finds himself spending countless hours on the internet. A large percentage of Americans are indeed addicted to the internet,

Clay Shirky, the author of “Does the internet make you smarter?” wrote about how ignorance has poisoned the internet with incorrect information. Not only does technology has its flaws, but so do books and novels dating back to the Protestant Reformation. Even though many people are against the internet Shirky reassures that if used correctly and appropriately, then it can become a very useful tool that can “tap our cognitive surplus”. The increased collaboration of technology is important to society for the reason that the internet is full of valuable knowledge that can be claimed very quickly and easily.

“Is Google Making Us Stupid” is an article written by Nicholas Carr, where Carr tries to make the point that our ability to read books and other long pieces of information is being affected by the internet's ability to become our primary source of information. Carr States (2008) “And what the net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation”(p.610).Even though the internet offers a highly efficiencient way of knowledge, it also melts our brain's ability to learn by experience. Carr starts by sharing a problem with the us about how he can hardly focus anymore when reading more the three or four pages. Carr goes on to prove how information on the internet is meant to be consis, and meant to get the point

Imagine living in a world without any internet. Imagine the amount of trouble a person would require to go through in order to find out the simplest things. The internet nowadays has become an essential part of almost every human being’s life. Cutting the internet off for just one day my actually leave the world in a state of commotion. Every type of technology may be used in either a way that benefit’s a person, or a way that may harm a person. The author, Nicholas Carr (2010), in “Does the Internet Make You Dumber?” argues that the internet, which is usually looked upon as the most abundant source of information, is actually what is leading people to become “superficial thinkers.” People who are always on the internet tend to not be very productive or creative. Even with the advantages using

actually affects our brains and the way we use them. Many people would argue that technology has more cons than pros, however it’s quite the opposite. We use technology in our everyday lives and it helps us to gain more knowledge than we’ve ever been able to before. The technology we have today is one of the greatest advantages we could have.

Nicolas Carr, an author and researcher, insinuates that people who use computers and the internet are becoming more shallow human beings and that this technological tool, despite its advantages that are applauded by many, is harming society as a whole. Carr has discussed these thoughts in his book The Shallows, on television in an interview with Stephen Colbert, and in an article in The Atlantic entitled “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” While Carr believes that the internet has its place and that it has been extremely helpful to him as a researcher and writer, he also believes that the internet encourages multitasking and boosts superficiality. I share these same thoughts with Carr. While the internet has been extremely helpful in producing a more efficient and fast-paced environment, it has at the same time produced challenges and weaknesses in our society, like multitasking and frivolity.

It has come very clear to me that our generation that is very accustomed to using the internet are maybe just a little lazier than the generation who did not have computers and other technologies. For instance, I myself find it much easier to go search something I do not know rather than looking it up in a book, because it is much quicker and simpler. If it was not for the internet some discoveries would have never been found, some people would not have made billions and some may even learn to read out of book without getting

The internet could be the most valuable invention that was made in the modern age. With the force of the web individuals basically can do anything. From learning how to cook to building a car. The possibility is endless. The modernization of the internet can have positive and negative effects on the world. The modernization of the web can have positive and negative consequences on the world. It is sure in light of the fact that it gives everyone the power to access any information, that they need in second. In any case, it is contrary since individuals start to get limited focus and just focus on the things they need to see as opposed to seeing the full picture.

Nowadays, the internet is the biggest marketing and media tool that people can use today. It can have various effects on people’s daily life ranging from bad to beneficial. In the essay “Is Google making us stupid” by Nicholas Carr writes about how internet usage in the 21st century is changing people’s reading habit and a cognitive concentration. Particularly, he emphasizes on Google’s role in this matter and its consequences on making people machine like. Carr also stated that the online reading largely contributes to people’s way of reading a book. He is extremely focused on the online reading’s distraction that most affects people’s mind.

Nicholas Carr's argument against the internet was very strong, and it persuaded me. It is very difficult for me to go against his opinion. I agree that the internet is changing us, but not in ways we think. There are long-term effects of using the internet as often as we do. He states that the internet is changing the way our brains function such as having a shorter attention span, negatively changing the way we critically think, and negatively changing our reading skills.

Overall, Nicholas Carr’s article succeeds in persuading his claim that Google makes people stupid in the article. His whole argument about the Internet has changed the audience way of thinking. He uses rhetorical techniques that are aimed at an audience that will believe him, people like millennials or even an older audience that knew what the internet was like before it was so common.

Technology could help people adapt in ways that could help them change the way they live and think. Although, it could negatively affect the way people process information through the internet such as having problems with literacy and distractions. In “Smarter than You Think”, Clive Thompson claims that technology can help humans be smarter. Technology such as computers to mentally challenge themselves, so they can improve. Thompson talks about how playing a computer in any sort of game like chess could be a game changer for humans to help them improve their performance and overcome their mistakes. Thompson also claims that digital tools can help people’s lives become easier and connect with other people through social media. Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Smarter?”, argues how technology doesn’t make people any smarter. Carr mentions how people’s literacy is being overthrown by technology. People tend to read whatever interest they want by using a search engine rather than reading books. Another

In The Shallows, Nicholas Carr discusses the internet’s effect on human thought. This is perfectly shown in Chapter Nine which is titled “Search, Memory.” Carr speaks on how the internet effects long term memory. The chapter quotes one of the smartest minds in the history of Western Civilization, Socrates. Socrates is quoted, “Writing down their thoughts and reading the thoughts of others had written down, they become less dependent on the contents of their own memory.” (The Shallows, Pg. 173) Socrates was onto something, just not in the right in the right part of history. With all of the knowledge available online and just a few key strokes away, there comes a loss of the long term memory. Why retain any knowledge if it just a hyperlink away?

In history, we learn about many different events that have changed the world. But which events had the most impact? These events have altered the way we live our daily lives and without them, the world wouldn’t be the same. The most important events to impact the world was the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, the effects of World War 1, and the fabrication of the internet.

Humanity has changing every day. People affect these changes and sometimes changes affect people’s life. However, there are a big conflict about historical changes. Some philosophers and a part of human population say that changes are unstoppable and no one know how history is changing. On the other hand some people say that history is changing with some reasons. Although opponents of this idea claim that governments shape their countries with war because history can only change with militarism, some people say that there are some other reasons which are changing history: technological development and world economy system.