How does technology take a toll on our minds through the increase of information from media? How does this affect the way we live our everyday lives? Nicholas Carr the writer of The shallows says that he thinks the internet is affecting the way our minds work, and it does in fact affect our everyday life. Throughout his book he uses personal experiences in other studies people have done in the past to support his argument. One of his personal experiences with how the Internet affects us is shown in chapter 1 “ I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print.”Carr, (7). This gives a personal experience of someone who is personally affected by the Internet changing the way he thinks and lives his life. Throughout this chapter he gives many more examples of how the Internet is affecting his reading ability and comprehension. …show more content…
This gives evidence that the Internet does have a very large impact on the people today in the future generations to come. The impact of technology isn’t all bad it can help with keeping your mind sharp as stated in chapter 7 “ engages so many brain functions, may help keep older people's mind sharp.” Carr, (116) With this information we know the Internet can do good but keeping him on sharp in our old age. This affects the way we move our everyday lives by using the correct tools of technology to our advantage, and learning to sculpt our minds in a good
In Nicholas Carr's article, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" is to inform the younger, upcoming generations on how the Internet may have negative effects on the human mind, in that, the way in which we abuse the Internet and not let our brains figure things out without the need of searching it on Google. Nicholas Carr begins by explaining how he feels that the Internet is causing his focus issues, in which he cannot keep focus while reading a book. Carr has his own personal experiences with the negative effects of the Internet, and he also provides research on how other writers had agreed with him on the subject to help support his strategies of logos. The use of the evidence from the other writers helps to draw in the reader and show them the effects of the Internet. Apparently reading on the Internet doesn't let people read the entire article and it is seen that they go from page to page, losing focus quickly.
He admits “The web has been a godsend to me as a writer.” He then goes on to list all of the ways that it has helped him in his profession. Carr says that he is able to research in minutes, and he no longer has to spend as much time looking for information. He shows that he too relies on the internet. If he claims that the internet has changed the way he thinks because he spends so much time on it, the reader may then begin to think about whether their behaviors and critical thinking abilities have changed from extended internet usage as
In the text, Carr brings up various forms of evidence that the internet is having an effect on the way that we think and the way that we
The more they use this method, the more they find it a struggle to stay focused on the task at hand. Scott Karp, an online blogger who writes about media, said that he has stopped reading books all together. Karp states: “What if I do all my reading on the web not so much because the way I read has changed, but because the way I think has changed” (Carr 68). The internet seems to be affecting the ability for people to be able to
For example, “What happened?’ He speculates on the answer: ‘What if I do all my reading on the web not so much because the way I read has changed” Carr says that the internet is a way to seek convenience but also because of the way people think. Overall the cognition of humans are negatively affecting their ability to read long
He claims that people should remain vigilant when openly accepting any computer network or technology. Carr’s viewpoint from start to finish is that the Internet is shifting the way that the present age group thinks, by changing the way we develop information.
He includes stories from organizations such as The New York Times and prominent figures who have had negative side effects including an ignorant attention span due to the Internet. Based on Carr’s essay, it can be said that we are a very distracted set of species. For example, scholars from the University of London conducted a study regarding the outcomes of research practices and their results showed that humans “typically read no more than one or two pages of an article or book before they would ‘bounce’ out to another site” (Carr 574). Based on this, it’s evident that we are, in fact, distracted and we “go online to avoid reading in a traditional sense” (574). Nicholas Carr's justified argument elucidates that media shapes the way we think and process information, which increases a high dependency on one source, a race with time, information distribution, and the inability to read printed
In The Atlantic “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr notifies us on the ways that technology is effecting our brains in a negative way. This article starts off by talking about the internet and how it is and can be the source for almost anything. That being said, we are becoming defenseless on technology in things like work, reading, and writing. This article demands that this technology is a very big disturbance in our lives. We practically live off of this technology and commonly this media has to live up to the expectations, which us, as the audience have everything handed to us.
Society's perception of the world has changed as a result of the new options provided by digital technology. In his book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains, Harvard-educated writer Nicholas Carr analyzes how contemporary technologies are affecting how people think. He offers insight into the psychological ramifications of each technological advancement throughout history and how culture has influenced how society goes about its daily business. In order to demonstrate how negatively digital technology is affecting our brains, he contrasts its impacts with those of earlier technologies like reading, writing, books, and calculators. Due to their over-reliance on the internet, people have allowed themselves to become cognitively
Today’s innovation is the internet, and the internet is proving to be just the same. Carr says that the attentiveness, thoughtfulness, and socialization of modern day society, or rather the lack of, is to the blame of the internet. Although Carr creates a strong argument, and does nothing but continually back up his thesis with good facts, but it is his actual thesis that I disagree with. Carr constantly states historical and scientific facts that show how the internet is following a path from the past.
In The Shallows, on page 199, it says, "Although even the initial users of the technology can often sense the changes in their patterns of attention, cognition, and memory as their brains adapt to the new medium, the most profound shifts play out more slowly, over several generations, as the technology becomes ever more embedded in work, leisure, and education- in all the norms and practices that define a society and its culture. " The more technology is involved in their everyday lives, the more it will change how they think and do daily activities. These technologies have impacted their ability to think critically, remember information, and engage with others. According to Clifford Nass, "They're terrible at ignoring irrelevant information; they're terrible at keeping the information in their head nicely and neatly organized; and they're terrible at switching from one task to another. "
While it is true that internet is changing the way we think, but it is not making us stupid. The author speaks that he is not the only one, and that his friends have the same problems. For them it is hard to concentrate in long readings. “The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused” (Carr 573).
In today’s society, technology plays a very important role in its ability to function, it helps people find information, communicate with others far away and provides entertainment. In “Fahrenheit 451”, a book written by Ray Bradbury, a dystopian future where books have been made illegal is presented. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, raises many questions about technology and its effects on society. It’s quite evident that we have become quite dependent on technology due to our overconsumption of it.
He starts his argument by telling us the effect the internet has had on him and others he has come across. The internet has changed his train of thought and his ability to focus and concentrate. He believes our brains have been reprogramed over time to adjust to the speed and convenience of the internet. Our ability to retain and digest traditional media has also been compromised since we are used to receiving information so rapidly. This is a strong opening argument for his essay.
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.