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)

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.

fascinating commentary

I'm a big Carr fan and his latest soap box does not disappoint. Really fascinating to hear his take on what is happening to our brains as the result of our always-on lifestyle. Not only does Carr explain this through current science but also comparing it to another key development in how our brains have been shaped - the printing press.

Worth the read for sure.

I am a very big fan of modern tech and culture.
I was expecting a rant with snippets of usable information. I found the opposite here. :-)
There is a good balance of positive and negative ideas on what is happening to us as modern humans. The book is long and wordy but that may be due to recent evolution. (This will make sense after you read the book)

Very interesting

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. The research and stories are very interesting and very important as we head into an increasingly-digital future. Engaging and valuable.

Interesting; very much so.

You must read it for your self to see what it is all about. I would not do it justice.

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.