Nicholas Carr The Shallows Essay

Advances in technology has altered the world as we know it, and it can only progress farther. Through the minds of many intelligent and devoted individuals across time technology has developed into a twenty first century deity. A young child one hundred years ago could never envision a world like ours today, ruled by ones and zeros. The media has affected us in ways that we can’t even comprehend and will continue to steadily provide humans with a faster and faster flow of information for years to come. But what is the cost to have all of the information you can imagine at your fingertips? The exponential increase in information that we process in all forms of media is affecting the way that we live by making society more alienated.

A huge beneficial effect of the Internet is time-efficiency because it no longer takes days to find research. Fortunately, it only takes a couple of minutes to do a few Google searches. Another benefit to the Internet, in comparison to the last example, is that it is a channel for most of the world’s information. For Carr, as for others, the Internet is becoming a universal medium. Lastly, it is probable that we may be doing more reading today than we did in the 1970s or 1980s, when television was a choice of interest. It is assumed that we may do more reading today because not only do we have access to a variety of texts, but also a numerous amount of ways of communicating. For example, social media accounts and text-messaging. A negative effect of the Internet is that it is chipping away capacity for contemplation. The Internet is

Carr has a more negative opinion about new technology than Cascio. Carr believes the internet and previous technological advancements have caused many changes in society, including reducing people’s ability to focus. Carr says, “What the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation.” This is just one of the many times that he blames the internet for the changes that have occurred in the past decade.

The Internet is something that some consider their lifesavers, while others believe that it takes their life away. The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr is a novel that explores the different areas of how new technologies affect humans in different ways, regarding multi-tasking and distractions, to how new technologies make us lose a little part of ourselves. Throughout the book Carr puts forward very strong arguments, but then loses creditability with his use of fallacies in argument.

Carr mentions his personal experience with technology and how it has affected him. He points out his “concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages” (961). Carr isn’t the only one who has been affected by technology; he tells us that even his “acquaintances” have had similar experiences. His acquaintances say, “The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing” (962). What once used to come natural to us has become difficult. People used to rely on books for multiple reasons when it came to research but now that technology has been used more frequently books are not that common. Carr says “Research that once required days . . . can be done in minutes” (962). Carr is mentioning the benefits of the Internet, for his argument he is using both sides so that the reader can relate to his article and understand where he is coming from. Carr quotes Marshall McLuhan when he points out that “the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation” (962). Although fast research is great and easy to access it has its flaws. Carr mentions that

It is a great way to stay communicated with the world around you but has also created harm making it unhealthy to society. An example that it is unhealthy to our society, the film called Nosedive from Black Mirror on Netflix, a story by Charlie Brooker, it is about a woman who is desperate to boost up her social media score that she is so engaged to her technology. She doesn’t see much of her surroundings or pretends to be living in the perfect life for this being an example of isolation. She is addicted and looking for acceptance through her technology for according to Seife, “Instead of exposing us to the differences, the Internet actually encourages conformism and intolerance.”(289). Seife’s statement makes sense to the film Nosedive because the women is following traditional standards of conduct how her society is on their technology as she’s following her own beliefs. The film shows their own society having to fit in with technology through mobile devices, everyone shares their daily activities and rates their interactions with others on a one-to-five star scale, and where one's current average rating can be seen by others and has significant influence on their societal status. This film reflects and gives the idea on how our own society

The effects of spending a lot of time on the internet can either be positive or negative. Some positive effects that Carr identifies is it saves him money because he shops online and he does some of his banking. He says, “The Net has become my all purpose medium,” this means that the internet has become his go to or his “friend.” He also identifies the internet as being a very useful tool when needing information very quickly. Some negative effects Carr identifies from using the Internet is it is “changing” his brain and remapping the way he thinks. He also feels that the more you use the Internet the more you lose your train of thought or you become less focused on anything you do especially reading a book. Carr seems to provide many examples from a positive outlook on using the Internet than negative outlooks.

One of Carr’s main points is that the internet is actually bad for society as a whole because constantly using the internet will lead to a dumber society. This is just a way for Carr to say that someone who uses the internet is not as smart as someone who uses it less often. He later states that humans are losing some of their cognitive thinking abilities making us act more robotic and if everyone will eventually become this way if we keep using the internet. This idea is used to scare people into stop using the internet and is an effective method for Carr to get his point across. Another way he scares people is he mentions a future where kids don’t read in class but will instead watch videos and won’t know how to spell due to spellcheck and this will lead to a decline in our education system.

According to Nicholas Carr, the internet has had an effect on how we read, think and live. He provides examples of this throughout his essay. In one of his statements he says “the net is becoming a universal medium, the conduit for most of the information [we receive]” (732) He gathers this information from other colleagues and friends he knows. People can access the internet and in a few clicks to have all the information they need and more. We are no longer limited by local sources to gather our data. At the speed of light, the voices of millions can be heard by all. It is the quick access and our human desire for knowledge that feeds the need for the internet. It has damaged our level of patience and causing our minds to wander. “And what

In the book the shallows by Nicholas Carr, He takes a position that states that the internet is destroying use as a species. I think the internet is helping but breaking use at the same time. The way that I see it is that we can talk to anyone in the world with the internet so we don't need to go out and me people. But with that in mind we can also meet a lot more people with the internet. Another reason why it is breaking use and helping to is that we can give information much faster so that helps with long distance communication. Now people like me are so used to getting info so fast it makes many people angry that they don't get instant feedback. I will tell you my point of view on the internet.

In Carr’s description of the Internet, he explains why it is affecting humans. He leaves the technology as a virus that absorbs our commands, injects information into us, and then scatters and spreads our concentration. However, before labeling the Internet as a human made pest that has gone wild, Carr makes one last appeal to ethos by stating possible benefits of this rapidly capable means of statement as well as his own faults of being a worrywart.

The internet has been around for a few decades now and several people are accustomed to using it in their everyday lives. Recently however, an author named Nicholas Carr published a book arguing that the internet is not good for us, and our brains. He claims that the internet is making us into shallow individuals, hence the name of his book, The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains. After reading this book, I must agree with Carr’s argument that the internet is altering our mindsets.

Social media makes it easy for people to communicate and interact with each other anytime anywhere in the world. People can stay connect to their families and loved ones no matter how far they are from each other. That ability to

The internet is the definition of what modernism is in the 21st century since it has made its way through in countless companies, organizations, and households. It has brought new prospects to administration, business, and the education system. It allows a person to gain new knowledge with a press of a button; however, there are some advantages and disadvantages that come with the internet. The advancement of the internet has vastly changed the way an individual shop for either apparel or grocery, communication, and learns. Instead of going out to a store and shop, it would be easier for them to do it online with a click of a button. It revolutionized the way many citizens act and think since they become very dependent on the internet. The internet is convenient tool, it can be found everywhere; a local coffee shop, school, library, businesses, etc. Matt Richtel, New York Times journalist, points out the negatives and positives of what overuse of technology does to an individual. I agree with Richtel’s points because technology has taken over some people’s lives. Throughout his article, Digital Overload: Your Brain on Gadgets, he sends a message across by stating how much of the internet has an effect on an individual’s everyday life.

The World Wide Web has made our lives a ton more helpful. We utilize the web to speak verbally and outwardly with our loved ones in far away locales, book flights, watch films, finish long distance online educational projects and even to search out potential future life partners. There are numerous different parts of our day-by-day lives where we utilize the web.