Carr, Nicholas G. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Introduction
Just imagine you went to the web only for three minutes to check your mail. Then someone sent you a hyperlink to that article. You started to read it carefully. At the same time, your friend sent you some funny photo, and of course you are going to the social network to share it with someone else. Just read the first paragraph of article you are looking for your friends online and what is new here, in the news you notice a video with funny title, there is bitten on a tongue by a bee poor man, who cannot talk now, and you wonder if it really can be, you opened a new tab and now you are looking for information about bees. On a certain website about bees, someone boasts with honey cakes and here you are on the site of recipes you want to share with friends.
Now imagine that all this goes on every day, and in a week, you do not remember that you have read about bees and why do you need all these products in the refrigerator. What do you think if there are not three minutes but dozens, hundreds of times more in a day, will you be able to keep in mind new information properly? The answer is probably "no" than "yes".
Speeding up of information exchange spins the globe as whirligig. The minds of consumers are learning to adapt to the new environment. For several years, scientists in the United States write books, in which they are trying to understand how for all that Internet affects the brain? Although we still do not have scientific evidence of physiological changes in the brain, these books bring us closer to the understanding of the new world.
An example of such books is the book of Nicholas Carr The Shallows. What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brain? In the book, the author shows on specific examples how the new "tools of the mind" throughout the history (alphabet, printing press or computer) change the route of our neural connections. "Is Google making us stupid?"(97) was one of the first questions of Carr, followed by a book with an attempt to explain the impact of the Internet on the brain.
The advent of the digital age changes the nature of our mind that could potentially have disastrous consequences, says Nicholas Carr (73). Despite the fact that the worldwide network exists only about 20 years, it is difficult to imagine life without it. The Internet provides instant access to a huge amount of information; we can also constantly be in touch with colleagues and friends. Our dependence on the Internet has its dark side. Growing body of researches and evidences says that Network with its constant distractions or interruptions of the study of a particular material makes people scattered and superficial.
Nicholas Carr in the course of three years was conducting the research to write his new book devoted to the influence of the Internet on the change in the principles of thinking, reading and memory. He notes that he has been pushed to write this book not only by academic, but also a personal interest. He decided to take up this work when he realized that he loses the ability to concentrate and analyse. Even when he was not at the computer, his mind felt hungry from lack of constant stimulation and fast information attacks, he felt himself in a constant turmoil (76).
Then the researcher wondered whether the loss of concentration could be the result of a long time that he spent online. To answer this question, he began to get acquainted with many of the psychological, behavioural and neurological studies that examined the impact of information technology on the way of thinking. As the result, the picture was found very alarming, at least for those who appreciate the insight, depth, rather than the reaction rate. Studies show that people who read the text, filled with hyperlinks, understand and remember less than those who read linear texts (56).
People, deriving information from multimedia presentations stored less than those who perceive information in a more calm and focused manner. People diverted constantly by reports about mail, instant messages and updates understand less than those who are able to concentrate. People who are accustomed to deal with multiple tasks at the same time are often less creative and less productive than those who do only one thing at the time (57).
Several studies show that people spend less time on average to view a particular page. Even those who are engaged in academic research online, more often switch from one document to another, rarely read more than one or two pages of a document (59).
Other studies reflect the fact that people involved in a variety of multimedia tasks simultaneously, fail tests for concentration and easier come to the disorder, as well as more difficult distinguish important information from trivia(60).
The results shocked the researchers. They expected that the "multitasking" people will have some advantages, but the worst thing is that people accustomed to deal with several tasks at the computer, on average, worse in every way. Even in the same multitasking: they are distracted by everything, and as a result, they perform worse with the necessary work (60).
It is also important that computers and mobile phones are changing our brains, strengthening some of its regions and suppressing other. Thus, simply turning off the computer or phone, the person cannot rearrange to the normal rhythm of the brain. Long-term changes in the quality of intellectual life have disastrous consequences.
That which should be the definition of the most important information for it later deeper study becomes the ultimate goal and the main method of learning and analysis. Nicholas Carr concludes in a brief presentation of his book that blinded by Web treasures, we cannot see what the harm we cause to our intellectual life, and even our culture.
Book Critique
The reader can start reading with mixed feelings. The person might not be sure that such a fertile topic as the Internet, will not be just criticize, with no arguments, no examples, just because more than two billion of people use Internet and it will be interesting to read about what there is such a terrible written about network. Nicholas Carr and his book can dissuade one from such thoughts.
What if the network is changing the way our thinking? The book requires linear approach, going into the topic, analysis of the problem, records, and notes. There are no hyperlinks and follow them is simply impossible. In the online world information is collected on the top, from this article, from that one, there is a word, and a phrase is here. As a result, it is often impossible to remember what you have found and read.
Internet does not encourage people to stop and think over this or that. It makes a person to be in constant intellectual movement. The rise of social networks popularity like "MySpace" and "Facebook" that pile on a whole heap of short messages and stream interesting but unnecessary information on people only exacerbates the problem.
There is nothing wrong with a quick perception of information in pieces or parts. People have always look over the newspaper rather than read them. Before reading books and magazines, a person usually runs their eyes through and flipping them to choose the most suitable for reading. Ability of skimming and flicking through is just as important as the ability to thoughtful reading and attentive thinking (59).
It should be announced that it is extremely important, compelling, impressive and thought-provoking book. The author patiently, consistently and intelligently, citing a number of studies shows how the human brain works in contact with information technologies. Talking about information technology in the book comes from afar - since ancient times, when mankind has created writing, learnt to draw diagrams and maps, to take into account the time using the hours, and then gradually reached the current computers and Internet. Still, this book is about how the brain works, and what all these diverse information technologies make with the process of thinking and working of the brain.
The main idea of the book is that today's pervasive impact of the Internet on the intellectual culture of attention and concentration acts more destructive and can have the most unexpected social and historical implications (40). Stunning search engine, which is undoubtedly Google, creates new “anti-intellectual” (52) habits: instead of seeking to strain memory and try and remember, most of us prefer getting answers to their queries instantly from the Web. Although, for the most of us Internet is like real gift of heaven, it gradually leads to atrophy of memory and distorts the process of thinking, remembering, mental constructing of meanings and logical schemes. Thinking becomes fundamentally different, more superficial, fragmented and primitive.
The network provides us with more powerful influence than the personal computer. Without leaving the browser, you can make a lot of things: visit the bank and mail, schedule appointments, buy tickets, book hotel accommodations, send documents, watch movies, listen to music, be aware of any news and just wander in the Web and chat people in all places and so on and so forth. Network has become part of the work, study and social life, but the influence of the Web quietly becoming more destructive and just switches off our mind. Artificial technology increasingly confident hosts in our homes and in our minds, creating a strong psychological dependence, and we remain blind and practically notice anything. The very idea of reading and writing books become old-fashioned and silly.
Nicholas Carr leads an impressive list of the latest advances in neuroscience, convincingly showing how the idea of the thinking processes is changing.
The brain is flexible, it changes throughout life. That is why it immediately integrates with the information and communication system like Network. The point is that Network does not have the wisdom and we actually become its hostages. Scenario of the future for mankind today is written by engineers and programmers. If we are relying on computers too much, our thinking will diminish, lose depth and degraded to the level of artificial intelligence.
This book provides much food for thought. It is really exciting to read about the nature of knowledge that requires a lot of concentration and attention, from which many of us become estranged. The author states that to write this book, he had to hide in the remote province to break away from his usual Internet environment and isolate his thinking from powerful stimuli that distract and disturb to work.
This book is one on the list of recommended books. We should understand that we become adepts of fast and surface scan, but lose an ability to concentrate and think.
We are so tied to the Internet that we have forgotten how to think with our brain. Internet making us superficial and we do not want to learn. The idea that we should learn something new every time is written in our genetic code. Nowadays, we want this information and draw it from the Internet. We are constantly distracted and it is hard to focus on one thing. In this way, we lose the habit of study because while perceiving multiple streams of information we do not remember anything.
Many may say why bother to learn something if everything is online. This is true, but the information you need you found quickly and likewise forgotten quickly. In such case, you do not know anything and you just waste your time.
If it is going on, we all will become alike and our individuality will be lost. One can only look at the sights. How long a person could be focused on one thing, it is the rare phenomenon that distinguishes us as humans. The loss of attention will take away creativity and criticism from us. That is why we should think before we once again view worthless video about birds. We need to develop a little our willpower, so when waking up in the morning the first thing we do is not checking our email, but making a trivial exercise. That is exactly the issue this book makes us thinking of. Nicholas Carr encourages us to think whether we waste too much time online for quite unnecessary things that make our brains degrade.
Conclusion
We should not get the main idea of the book wrong. Internet is good for many things, and we should enjoy it, but the best thing we can do for our brain is to find a little time each day to shut down, calm down and concentrate on one task at the time. Our mail and chats are not going anywhere and will wait for our return.
This is a book that will forever change that how and what we think of our brains. Internet makes us more superficial and we do not delve into the essence.
This book is the most convincing study of the cultural and intellectual influence of the Internet.
