In a world where an answer to a problem is only 0.37 seconds away, some people wonder how our ways of thinking have changed. Having the internet at our fingertips is changing the way people view the world. Nicholas Carr makes the argument that the internet is changing the way a person processes information by using scientific jargon, personal testimonies, and the comparison of technology. Carr uses many different kinds of scientific words and phrases thought out his essay. In one section of the essay it says “the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation.” (Carr). Using words like concentration and contemplation to make the reader believe that the internet is the reason Carr loses focus, and does not have an attention span to ponder things. The words are also thought invoking because they make the reader ponder about how the internet is changing the way they process information.
Carr compares thinking to that of a music note with a staccato. In music a staccato is a very short note. The reader perceives that his thoughts are short, and he does not have the concentration to be able to read long books, or even articles. The reader could as well believe that he is incapable of having a long thought process to put together a complete thought. The reader can also apply this back to their life, and see that they do not have the ability to sit still long enough to read an article or book either. This makes the author more relatable.
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.
As Carr continues, he speaks of his extended use of the internet over the last decade, explaining that all information that he once painstakingly searched for is done in minutes with the use of search engines. In doing this, Carr places blame on the internet for breaking his ability to concentrate. Carr presents his arguments in a way that his readers could easily agree. He gradually works up to the idea that the internet has weakened his ability to focus, and as he does this he makes several general statements about the internet’s nature. These points on the net’s nature are so basic that any reader of his article would be inclined to agree with them, and this lends itself to help readers believe the argument Carr wishes to propose. Because it would be hard to provide factual evidence to support his claims, Carr effectively uses logical reasoning to convince the reader.
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
Over history technology has changed mankind’s overall culture. From clocks to computers the use of electronics and tools is occurring every day in almost all situations. In Carr’s article “Is Google Making us Stupid?” he introduces the idea how the internet is changing our lives by making us mentally process information differently from the past, based off previous changes in history. Carr explains how we think less deeply and rely on quick facts, versus using critical thinking and research. Also he explains how our brain is malleable, and may be changed by the internet’s impression. Lastly Carr talks about what the
In the excerpt “What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains”, Carr suggest the Internet is having an effect on
As time progresses in our technologically propelled era and the internet continues to provide as the largest network source of information, our intellectual perception of information takes on a more distinctive and less analytical approach than before. The use of the internet has seized control over the vast connection of neural pathways in our minds, influencing our experiences and essentially hindering our natural ability to apply cognitive thinking.
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
Carr describes how he thinks that the internet is making him lose his focus, he can't read for longer times, makes him uneasy and starting to look for a distraction while reading. Carr explains in depth in the article that how the internet is taking over our lives, we found
This is accomplished through the use of anecdotes. Carr opens up by quoting a 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, in which an artificially designed supercomputer (HAL), intended to good for the astronauts, but in the movie, HAL goes on a murdering spree killing the astronauts it was intend to help. The anecdote puts Carr argument into perspective, as the reader is emotionally attached and feels that Carr might be on to something. Following this anecdote, Carr gives out facts of how “someone has been tinkering with [his] brain” ( Carr 91) and how “Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Carr 92). The mix of antedates and facts paints a complete picture within the readers head, similar to the movie, that although the internet is a godsend we should not whole heartedly rely on the internet without knowing the effects on our brain down the road. Furthermore, toward the end of the article, Carr uses dark lungs to further instils fear in his article as he is “haunted” (Carr 101) and “afraid” (Carr 101) “as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world” (Carr 101). By Carr using a mix of anecdotes and facts in his article, he makes a connection between the film and the internet; as he is not wanting the intellectual ability of our generation to decline as our brains evolve to face the
Carr also uses a quote from Maryanne Wolf to show that the way people now read and think have changed. Wolf states that the importance placed on productivity may be weakening the greater value
Recent developments in technology have made life immeasurably easier, but does it come at a cost? Nicholas Carr and Verlyn Klinkenborg both weigh in on how paper and pixel impact the way in which we think, process information, and retain knowledge. In "Does the internet make you dumber?" Nicholas Carr expresses his concern of how the internet hurts the mind.
The internet has changed our way of thinking and processing information modernly
Carr discusses the effects that the Internet has on our minds and the way we think, as well as the way media has changed. Our minds no longer focus. When in conversation with people we are constantly distracted by the technological advances our era has brought. Text messages, emails, pop culture drama has all taken
Using the internet for so long has made us addicted, and we constantly rely on it. If you are doing a simple task, such as reading a book, it is a lot harder to concentrate because of the distraction that comes with the Net. Carr’s take on this is