Reddit mentions of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

You might want to read The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. He writes about the internet as a new development in our history of mediums and how this affects, 'rewires' our brain. He also had problems with concentration while reading long articles or books and thinks that the internet not only improves our knowledge but is also changing the way we are processing our information. I'm currently reading it, so I can't give you the conclusions yet, but it's really interesting.

(edit - added link to book)

Thank you!

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The new healthcare legislation is fucking shit. There's some restrictions in there I wholly agree with - but there's little in the legislation controlling cost. Instead - it is legally requiring that citizens pay corporations even more money. We've made it a legal mandate that we have to give money to the assholes that cause the problem. This is the legislation that pretty much mirrors what Romney wanted for his state - that he is now trying to distance himself from as the GOP try to take "obamacare" to court to get it deemed unconstitutional under the commerce clause.

Unless it's single payer (or hell - even a real public option) - it's not much to write home about. I am happy there have been restrictions on pre-existing conditions and legislation to help out kids and young adults. But these are petty in the grand scheme of things -they are waving small feel-good victories to make people think some major change is about to happen. It's not.

>Would you settle for the internet and cell phones for now??

No. Because the internet was supposed to create a balance of power for the people. It was supposed to give people a voice and for a while it did. But the internet has given rise to a surveillance society like never before by corporations. We're watching little by little as Net Neutrality ideals erode. I'm watching as the few toothless net neutrality rules that get put in place, don't apply to wireless. I'm watching nation after nation throw up national firewalls/proxies. I watch as the US Justice Dept are taking down websites without court order or trial. I'm watching as the open web gets a new layer built on top of it full of proprietary apps, codecs, and all inclusive networks. It's getting carved to pieces that are more and more often becoming less and less open - closing off modes of communication, closing off opportunities for innovation.

Cell phones have also become huge tracking devices. To me - while they are useful tools - they have also helped erode the life/work balance people once used to enjoy. It's bad enough Americans work more hours than ever before while getting less sick time, vacation time, and paternity/maternity leave than every other developed nation in the world, on top of having shit healthcare. No - we have to allow the wonders of mobile technology (cellphones, laptops, vpns) allow us to take it with us wherever we go.

Technology is fantastic. I consider myself a futurist. But it comes with it's negative cultural effects as well as positive. We can curb some of that, especially that which arises from corporate america, but we don't.

And lastly - technological innovation is a poor substitute in regards to gains in social justice and building an egalitarian society. Giving us toys to play with and better ways to stay in touch is no substitute for a shrinking wealth gap.

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr is a good book about this subject.

Read The Shallows:

"Building on the insights of thinkers from Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a convincing case that every information technology carries an intellectual ethic―a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. He explains how the printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In stark contrast, the Internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources. Its ethic is that of the industrialist, an ethic of speed and efficiency, of optimized production and consumption―and now the Net is remaking us in its own image. We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection. "

https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393072223#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1482980996538

Yes and it promotes shallow thinking. Check out "The Shallows". It's about What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.

I think the more pressing question is: What does this mean for 21st century brains?

I'd recommend you read this, but you probably won't get past the first page

Good lord, if I could solve that problem, I'd be a billionaire, don't you think? :)

Sadly, while I have a pretty good idea why it is happening from a functional neuroanatomical perspective, I'm afraid that doesn't do me a lot of good... here I am at work on a Sunday, trying to catch up on some reports I am way behind on, and yet instead, I am once again on reddit!

Ah, the inescapable pull of the dopamine reinforcement provided by reddit's perfectly bited-sized, just-enough-information-to-make-my-brain happy links (and the orangered envelop, of course).

And on a related note, have you checked out Nick Carr's The Shallows?

>'It is probably down to the texting culture. The use of textonyms and so on. But it is also to do with the way young people read on screen. The digital age cuts back reading and, as a consequence, young people are losing the ability to think seriously. They get distracted more easily, breaking off to check an email. Speed-reading is exactly the wrong thing to do. You have to think about what you are reading.’ He gives me his sideways look. ‘You have to ponder.’

Basically the topic of Carr's new book The Shallows. Unfortunately I notice this behavior all the time now. Even reading this article once or twice my mind was wandering toward other tabs on my browser :P

Ahem. Everyone is starting to have this problem. Read this. It's scary and enlightening.
http://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393072223

This is the article that made me read the book. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/05/ff_nicholas_carr/all/1

http://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393072223

There's an entire book about this.

Interesting read, too.

Yup. Take a look at Nicolas Carr's book, 'The Shallows'. It speaks to this exact problem, and what it is doing to a generation that can only digest bite size bits of information.