Book Review - The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains

Check Joy Lo Dico's review of Nicholas Carr's intriguing new book. This comes from The Independent: "The headline-grabbing concept of The Shallows is that the internet is rewiring our brains to negative effect. Carr recognizes that he is placing himself in a proud tradition of Jeremiahs bemoaning technological advancements, from Socrates, who fretted that the written word would create 'forgetfulness', via the Gutenberg press naysayers, to those who were disturbed by the unfettering of the written word, the speed of the telegram, and finally the internet, a vast, seething jungle of distraction and inanity. ... "

Love this from Carr: "The bond between book reader and book writer has always been a tightly symbiotic one, a means of intellectual and artistic cross-fertilization. The words of the writer act as a catalyst in the mind of the reader, inspiring new insights, connections, and perceptions. And the very existence of the attentive, critical reader provides the spur for the writer’s work. It gives the author the confidence to explore new forms of expression, to blaze difficult and demanding paths of thought, to venture into uncharted and sometimes hazardous territory. 'All great men have written proudly, nor cared to explain,' said Emerson. 'They knew that the intelligent reader would come at last, and would thank them.'"

In Carr's view, prolonged exposure to the rapid and varied flood of information on the internet has caused a sort of societal ADD: a general inability in individuals to think long and deeply on any one subject.

I'm not so sure. I note that Carr, though he diagnoses himself with this malaise, has nevertheless been able to think long and deeply enough to come up with yet another carefully researched and reasoned tome.

In my view, the internet is just like any other tool. The benefit, or lack thereof, derives from how one uses it. If the internet is simply your connection for playing a lifetime's worth of Halo with strangers, or mindlessly "surfing" from one wave to another as so many do, then, yes, it'll rewire your brain to negative effect. If, on the other hand, it is your lifeline for collaboration on serious work with colleagues around the globe ...