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.