The New Norm

In The Shallows, Carr frequently talks about the how he thinks today’s world is dumbing down because we use technology to store most of our information.  I personally disagree with this whole statement.  It is quite amusing to me that Carr can talk about the ridiculousness of holding information in silicone objects when there were many different types of mediums before, such as the rock.  Was the human race dumbing down when they turned symbols on rocks into the alphabet, and stories on walls into books?  No they were not; the media evolved because so did our knowledge.  There are advantages and disadvantages to every type of medium we can imagine.  Yes, it is true that if all a person does is watch television, surf the web and play video games all day that they have become very vulnerable towards technology.  I know many people, many smart people, who constantly tweet, Facebook their friends and surf the web because that is how the world is going and that is how people have started to connect.  Letters are a nice thing to write and receive but who is to say that it is the better, more genuine thing to do?  Just because they have been around so long does not mean that the now alternative e-mail is worse.  The content in itself should be the real meaning, not the way the content is sent. 

We live in a world where more is expected of everyone.  More deadlines to make, more hours to work and more people to meet.  Technology is made with the demand of the world and if Carr thinks technology is causing a decrease in real intelligence, then how is it that these products are even being made?  Many people are studying and becoming employed in Computer Science.  I would like to see a person who is an English major do half the things on a computer that a Computer Science major can do.  This is not because the English major is not capable; it is just that it is not their specialty.  What I am trying to get at is that many people today rely on Computer Science majors to do everyday things.  Our advanced traffic controls were made and programmed by computer science technicians and also that Wi-Fi you rely on to write that 10 page research paper.  Maybe books do have are more meaningful than the internet because of the way they are more specific and the way it takes longer for them to be published.  If you think about it books would be the same as the internet if they did not need to be looked over and published.  If books could be written then sold, there would be more racism, bad humor and violence just like there is on the internet.  If any kind of book was available to anyone, little kids’ minds would be soiled just as people claim they are from the internet.  I believe that many inappropriate books are being made and sold all the time, and if the internet could be controlled just as books are I reckon, there would be no controversy.

- Rachel Duchemin

According to Carr, the internet has really been changing the way we think and process. When Carr said "My mind isn't going – so far as I can tell – but it's changing. I'm not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I'm reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy." (Carr 1) in the book, he meant to say that the gears of his brain are being renovated by the internet. Given that reading in depth was once easy for him, it began to seem hard for him the more he got addicted to the internet. In this chapter of The Shallows, Carr doesn't sound all the way sure of how our brains are being renovated by our internet addiction, but he sounds like he has a reasonable comprehension of how the internet is addictive to us. Given that he said "I think I know what's going on. For well over a decade now, I've been spending a lot of time online, searching and surfing and sometimes adding to the great databases of the Internet. The Web's been a godsend to me as a writer." (Carr 2), there are many appealing sources on the internet that either helps us comprehend certain things, or gives us information that anyone would try to find for themselves. Muses Davis has also said that "The Internet may have made me a less patient reader, but I think that in many ways, it has made me smarter. More connections to documents, artifacts, and people means more external influences on my thinking and thus on my writing."(Carr 8) I think by that he means that reading random long passages in novels and books about reality, won't exactly help the person process the way certain sources on the internet does. According to Carr, the internet  "was a machine that, in subtle but unmistakable ways, exerted an influence over you."(Carr 13) because it functioned the way he functioned the more he used it. The internet is a huge source of answers because the internet is full of links, and by clicking them, you have access to the document linked to it, and "travel through the online world along paths of whim and intuition"(Carr 15). Carr concluded that the reason why our brain functions differently than it did before we got the internet is not because of extensive time "staring at a computer screen"(Carr 16), but it was because he was so used to and dependent on every service the internet has to offer.

-Drew Theran

Kony 2012 and the Esoteric Agenda

Although the hype of Kony 2012 has already come and gone, we can learn a lot about the Internet through the story.  Most people saw the video as enlightening or inspiring, and for the most part, this is true.  Myself, like almost everybody else, couldn’t help but feel compassion for these helpless kids.  It was almost impossible to hold back the tears while listening to these little boys and girls tell their horrific stories of childhood.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much research to figure out the video was more of a ponzi scheme than anything.  The people of Uganda were outraged, saying that Kony and his army haven’t been a threat in six years.  They’re annoyed that everyone is on board to help after the fact, but were non-existent when these people were indeed suffering.  Honestly, you can’t blame them.

            This blog isn’t to discuss Kony or whether or not the video was good or bad, but rather to show how brainwashed the Internet can make people.  Most people, myself included, couldn’t point out Uganda on a map.  Yet, watching this one overhyped thirty-minute video (which is pissing off the people affected) turns everyone into compassionate social activists.  I’m not saying that the viewers aren’t truly compassionate, but they fail to look deeper into the content to see what’s really going on.  It’s amazing how fast information can spread on the Internet and this is usually a good thing.  However, the mainstream media uses this as a tool to distract the public.  I am not implying any crazy conspiracy theories because it is fact the media is biased to make people believe certain things.  I could give hundreds of examples but I simply don’t have the time.

            With that said, I think it’s time for people to start using social networking to benefit humanity as a whole. Many already use the Internet to speak out against corruption, but media can simply label these people “conspiracy theorists” and create an illusion that these individuals are “unpatriotic”.  Wouldn’t it be nice if “college is stupidly expensive and should be lowered NOW” was trending on twitter?  Or how about “stop overpricing textbooks 2012”.  I am sick of people thinking that they can’t change simple things like this.  If everyone spoke out against the price of textbooks, they would be lowered.  It’s a fact.  It’s the same with the price of gasoline.  Of course, I admit I am not an economist and I don’t have all the answers.  However, there are many people out there who do have the answers and are simply not heard.  As rapper Lupe Fiasco puts it “I really think the silence is worse than all the violence.  Fear is such a weak emotion that’s why I despise it.”  Lupe is 100 percent correct.  Thanks to the Internet, we now are not forced into silence, yet we continue to lock our lips on anything that isn’t “politically correct”.

            I believe Nicholas Carr is correct when he says that the Internet has a negative affect on our brains.  However, it isn’t the Internet itself that is dangerous, but rather how it is being used.  We must use the Internet to stop the global elite, rather than using it to help spread a dismal esoteric agenda.

We're Changing

Although I undoubtedly disagree with many points Carr makes throughout the novel, it’s hard to proclaim he is entirely wrong.  The specifics of exactly how the Internet is affecting our brains may never be solved, however, how could one argue that it isn’t affecting us at all?  How could one of the biggest changes in the way we perceive information in the history of mankind not affect the way we think?  The Internet changed everything.  It affects the way we research, communicate, express ourselves, find out the weather, and keep ourselves entertained ect.  It has to have an affect on our brains.  Whether or not it’s positive or negative is certainly not for me to decide.  I just want to share my story.

            On Page 16, after he explains the change in his thought process after using the Internet, Nicholas Carr states, “I missed my old brain.”  Although Carr is rather broad with that description, I can’t help but feel the exact same way.

Growing up I was never much of a numbers person.  As far back as I can remember, math has always been a struggle.  To this day nothing has changed.  However, while my arithmetic abilities hid in the shadows, my reading and comprehension skills flourished.  As a child, I’ve always loved to read.  Unlike math, I always knew that if I put the time into reading, the work would get done.  No matter what the length of the assignment, I could sit down, do the reading, and comprehend it fully.  I would often read for fun or at least to keep me busy. 

            Starting junior year of high school things began to change.  I noticed I was never reading for pure enjoyment, and felt irritated if I had to read for a school assignment.  I would find myself reading chunks of the pages but not comprehending what it said.  It was weird.  I found myself having to read things twice to take in the information.  It felt truly like the words were in one ear and out the other.  I could also feel myself getting anxious.  After about 20 pages, I would start to feel fidgety and had to take a break.  This process was annoying and made what was once a form of enjoyment, into a form of torture. 

            This continued throughout the rest of my high school career and into college.  Last semester I struggled so bad with reading that I asked my mother if I could seek help.  It doesn’t make sense that the older and wiser I become, the harder and harder reading became.  She insisted that I try harder and learn to focus more.  It’s clear that I don’t have a learning disability so why am I struggling so badly with something as simple as reading?  I still don’t have the answer but this book seems enlightening to me.  Although I can’t pin point exactly what’s happening it must have to do with technology.  What else could it possibly be?  There’s no way I’m simply getting dumber (I hope not at least).

            As I stated before, I don’t think Carr has all the answers.  However, I do think he is on the right track.  I know I am not alone as far as my inability’s to read thoroughly anymore.  Many people feel this way.  It’s something as a nation we must address.  How are we all going to think one hundred years from now?

Dan Murphy