Nicholas Carr s The Shallows What The Internet Is Doing

Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, questions the impact the technology has upon our lives. He argues that the internet prevents our ability to engage in deep reading and thus restricts our ability to think critically. He says this is due to the idea of neuroplasticity, which is where our brains change in order to adapt to the different stimuli it encounters. When books were first introduced, our brain had to rewire itself in order to achieve the ability to focus for long periods of time on text and to think deeply about it. This resulted in a literate deep thinker. However, the internet has forced our brain to rewire itself again. Carr says that â€Å"there is evidence that the cells of our brains literally develop and grow bigger with use, and atrophy or waste away with disuse† (22). Our brain has many structures that perform specific functions and the structures associated with deep thinking can decrease and eventually will serve no function if we don’t use it. We are much better thsn our ancestors. According to Carr, â€Å"the oral world of our distant ancestors may well have had emotional and intuitive depths we can no longer appreciate† (56). In other words, Carr believes that people in the past engaged in focused, immersed thinking. I believe that Nicholas Carr is right when he says that the internet is changing the way we think, however I don’t believe that we need to turn off the internet in order to reduce the chances of losingShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Nicholas Carr s The Shallows : What The Internet Is Doing877 Words   |  4 Pages Nicholas Carr published The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains in 2011 as a result of his own personal experiences and observations of his own behavior. The book was published by W.W. Norton Company with ISBN 978-0-393-33975-8. Carr began working on the book after he noticed that since the birth of the internet, he did not think in the same ways that he used to think; he was easily distracted and had trouble concentrating on tasks requiring a lot of thought (2011). This effectRead MoreCarrs Argument in Vital Paths1823 Words   |  8 Pageschapter in Nicolas G. Carrs book, The Shallows. This chapter continues Carrs argument, posed in chapter one, in highlighting the dangers of the internet, regarding our cognitive abilities. Specifically on format, this chapter argues for our brains neurological flexibility through an array of examples, ranging from historical observations to scientific experiments, and ends cautioning that with malleability negative neurologica l effects are plausible. Carr introduces the argument for neurologicalRead MoreSummary Of The Shallows By Nicholas G. Carr981 Words   |  4 PagesIn his article â€Å"The Shallows†, Nicholas G. Carr explains to his readers how reading writing came to be, it s effects on the brain, and what both Plato and Socrates thought about the subjects. According to Carr, writing began in the year 8000 BC, when people would use small clay tokens that were engraved with symbols as a way to keep track of livestock and goods (Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains). Then during the end of the fourth century BC, the Sumerians and EgyptiansRead MoreThe New York Times Best Seller, By Nicholas Carr1267 Words   |  6 Pagesto collect the world s resources in an organized manner, making it universal and accessible for all. Programs like Google expose users to an infinite amount of material, allowing individuals to process information at an unprecedented rate. With just a click of a button the World Wide Web makes this possible, but are we truly aware of the side effects it may have on our brains? 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From Nicholas Carr’s 2010 book titled â€Å"The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains† comes â€Å"The Web Shatters Focus, Rewires Brains†; Carr’s argues in this chapter that the huge advancement in the technological boom is changing our brains in a negative way such as â€Å"cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning.†(Carr). He recalls a study that Gary Small, a UCLA professor, did on the human brain regarding new and veteran internet users.Test subjectsRead MorePersonal Statement And Field Studies979 Words   |  4 Pagestheir phones or browsing the Internet frequently while at school or at work. The downside to this issue is that people become accustomed to spending a large amount of time on their electronics, and see it as something normal. In the end, they become less productive and produce less quality work since full time and effort was not applied. In order to keep a balance between work and time spent on electronics that is not relevant to work; people need to prioritize on what is most important. By spendingRead MoreIs the Internet Taking over Teenagers?809 Words   |  4 PagesINTERNET TAKING OVER YOUNG MINDS How much time do we have left before technology completely takes over our mind? Or has it already? We are told it is changing our brains, our thinking, and our learning. Few people are as concerned as Nicholas G. Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains, of how badly the internet is affecting us mentally. The book being a recent finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize Awards. Read MoreThe Internet s Influence On Cognition Essay2322 Words   |  10 Pagesthinking the way I used to think.† These daunting words were echoed by Nicholas Carr, author of the non-fiction , â€Å"The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.† His work has received both acclimation and criticism for exploring the extent of the internet’s influence on cognition. While Carr argues that the internet is indeed responsible for rewiring our brain leading to negative implications, others believe that the internet can be tailored to generate long-term benefits, and some believe thatRead MoreThe Impact Of Internet On Human Brain1377 Words   |  6 PagesThe goal that I wanted and desired to accomplish while completing the MYP p roject, was to understand the impact of internet use on the human brain. The pros and cons of having information available to us at the tip of fingers, or in our pockets. I chose this project because I wanted to explore the core of human nature. I wanted to comprehend how we operate, function and work with new discoveries. Experiment with our ability to adapt to new foundings and use them at our benefits, rather than become