The Shallows

What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

By: Nicholas Carr

Narrated by: Richard Powers

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of The Big Switch returns with an explosive look at technology’s effect on the mind.

“Is Google making us stupid?” When Nicholas Carr posed that question in an Atlantic Monthly cover story, he tapped into a well of anxiety about how the internet is changing us. He also crystallized one of the most important debates of our time: As we enjoy the internet’s bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply?

Now, Carr expands his argument into the most compelling exploration yet published of the internet’s intellectual and cultural consequences. Weaving insights from philosophy, neuroscience, and history into a rich narrative, The Shallows explains how the internet is rerouting our neural pathways, replacing the subtle mind of the book reader with the distracted mind of the screen watcher. A gripping story of human transformation played out against a backdrop of technological upheaval, The Shallows will forever alter the way we think about media and our minds.

©2010 Nicholas Carr (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Neuroscience and technology buffs, librarians, and Internet users will find this truly compelling.” ( Library Journal)

“Cogent, urgent, and well worth reading.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Wish it were abridged

The chapters 10 and 11 answered the actual question, I thought. 13 is also worth a listen.

Great research, but too much extraneous info

Overall I learned a lot from this book, however my only issue is that I feel Carr went on too many irrelevant tangents that I did not care for. Some examples of this were the chapters on Larry Page, history of writing, etc.

Somewhat underwhelming references and studies

I agree with the overall sentiment, although mostly from a gut feeling, of this book. It’s hard to take criticism of digital/online media when a number of the referenced studies were published online via blogs. The irony is not lost on me in regards to listening to this book on an app and reviewing for future listeners instead of suggesting the paperback.

SPOILER ALERT

I was completely gutted when the author, after hours of listening to how devastating the technology is to our intake and processing of information, admitted to continuing a fully digital life after preaching the benefits of luddite “old school” learning.

The Internet is shrinking the brains of people

Where de advice: electronics are a meant for work or necessity. They are not for pleasure in addition to work and necessity.

TV shrunk many people‘s brains. As if the Internet is not doing worse.

Eye opening!

Better ptactice your meditación
before you lose your attention!
Just wait... neural link is sure to turn the whole thing on its head.
Guard your creativity and long range concentration skills.

It’s long-winded and feels a little doomy, but the neuroscience is interesting

It’s feeling a little dated since the technology in the book is a little old, but otherwise it holds up.

I Disagree: Not Only Elites, More People Read Now

First, as appropriate self-disclosure, I should note that the title and description of this book turned me off because I'm a technophile. However, I read books that I feel viscerally opposed to precisely because I feel opposed to them. I don't want my brain to get too narrow.

Even though I disagree with the concepts presented in this book, I'm giving it 4 stars because I think it adds a valid argument to the overall discussion on the impact of the Internet and it's impact.

That said, my initial response to a lot of his points was that they were valid. Some of the points in this book are valid. The increasing "drinking from a fire hydrant" feeling of information overload is undeniably real. The problem with this book is that he compares our current life to the "good ol' days" when people read more deeply, wrote more deeply, etc. And even he notes that those were the rich elite. In fact, in the good ol' days, most of the world was illiterate.

My cousin is a construction work and my brother installs security cameras for a living. Both claim they hated high school and neither could tolerate much more formal education. My brother choked down some university courses because he was able earn GI Bill beer money as a result.

Still, decades ago, my conversations with them lacked depth and range. Today, my brother is well versed on a wide variety of science, technology, politics, global events. I'm amazed at the conversations I have with both of them and with other family members who eschewed formal education.

Not only is technology bringing people with little interest in deep reading into the fold, its expanding the reach and range for those of us with an interest in everything. I've always loved to read, but years ago, I had to dedicate a week or two to a good book. Now, with my audible.com empowered iPod, I can consume a book in a day or two. This one included.

Japanese are surprisingly well-read; at least Tokyoites, owing to the hours they spend in commute on the Metro system. I learned to love my iPod when I was commuting by bus and metro in DC. I don't need a seat. I don't need to focus on bouncing words on a page to read. My iPod keeps dumping ideas into my brain as I step up onto the bus, touch my smart card to pay for the bus, walk down the stairs into the metro, pass through the turnstiles. My reading hours have been expanded to any time when I'm driving, walking, even exercising.

Sorry, the end result I see is more people with more data in their brains, processing more information and mulling it over in conversations. The world isn't getting more shallow, but it might getting "flat" er. Today, literacy rates throughout the world are climbing, access to a range of information. Globally, it's a good thing on the whole. I'm sure the intellectual elite are still reading just as deeply as ever before.

Thanks for the idea, though.

A Today's Man Essential Read

In the age of information we live today, this book will show you differences of man and machine. It will also show why we are incapable of multitasking effectively, and why we shouldn't multitask in the first place.

Positive and Negative Perspectives

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I did not agree with some of his conclusions but enjoyed the discussions and he did try to show both sides of most arguments. He presents discussions of modern tools used to study the brain and our discovery of it remarkable plasticity. I also enjoyed his study on the history of reading and writing. His key premise is that most people are losing the ability and interest in reading long deep novels and they only want the quick reads such as we get off the internet articles and emails. I believe it is healthy to discuss these ideas but I do not think his results are universal. For one, I use the internet to downloads books that I would never have discovered otherwise. So it has enhanced my reading.

Loved the book!

The was an enlightening read. Well-rounded research into the cognitive consequences that computer addiction entails. Excellently written and narrated.