The Shallows Analysis

We Are Distracted Nicholas Carr’s book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, discusses why the creation of the Internet is changing the brain processes and the way of thinking for all who use it. The use of computers and the Internet has exploded in popularity over the past ten years. New technologies to make lives easier are being created every day, such as different updates, new versions, and new devices to use. They are meant to be fast, and technologically smart to, again, make lives easier. Carr believes that this new technology is destroying the way people used to think. The world is so fast paced now, and no one has the attention span, or even the ability to sit down, read, or retain all of the knowledge found in printed text. “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski” (Carr, 7). Carr’s brain is also changing. Even though, he grew up without all the convenience of the Internet and new electronic technology. “I miss my old brain” (Carr, 16). As shown by this quote, he still feels the effects of the modern world. People used to read books, magazines, and newspaper articles for researching purposes. Now, the norm is to use Google’s search engine. Most books, magazines, and newspapers can be found somewhere on the Internet nowadays. A person can purchase almost any book on their E-reader, with an Internet connection, and read it from anywhere. Book stores are basically becoming obsolete. The book store, located where I live, closed down a couple years ago when E-readers, such as, Nooks, Kindles, and iPads, started growing in popularity. Because the action of reading and getting lost in a book requires a completely different brain function than skimming articles on the Internet, many people nowadays do not spend their time reading books. Carr explains in chapter two, and also in nine, that our brains need to be “re-wired” in order to do any action. “Every time we perform a task or

Cited: Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. New York: Norton, 2010. Print.