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)

Interesting, but has a misleading subtitle

First, let me clarify my headline. Carr's data is not out of date, it's the topic that is (or perhaps subjects that are). If you're seeking to discover "what the internet is doing to our brains," you will not be disappointed. We must, however, know that he is writing about what the internet is doing to OUR brains, not the brains of the youth (or even some older "digital natives"). Research is showing that the youth are "wired differently," and while interesting, this book does not apply to the young generations.

I appreciated that Carr does not make judgments about the positive or negatives associated with these "changes" - I probably would have liked this book far less, had he done so (following the flaw in the description). I perceive that most listening to this book are seeking validation of their own feelings about the internet's effect on humanity. You will be presented with a large amount of information, and left to make your own decisions.

I actually found this book interesting, but I have rated it so low for the performance. I drive while I listen, and this performance was the slowest, most drawn out and boring performance I have EVER listened to - so much so that I nearly quit the book. Instead, I listened at 1.5x speed, just to make it tolerable (but even then, it was questionable).

Good book

Good story, thats what I needed to listen to. I will probably need to read it again to Understand it fully

Interesting content, reader mispronounces terms and names.

The content of the book is interesting. The performance is fine, except for the chapter on neuroscience in which the reader mispronounces terms and names.

Great. Extremely challenging

This was exceptional. My wife keeps asking, “What are you going to change?” Unfortunately lifestyle change is one of the hardest. But this book gives some positive examples on how to do it. Great book. Will Listen again for sure.

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.

1%

1% of this book is very interesting, provocative and eye opening. The author briefly addresses the wide spread distraction of society caused by technology and how our brains arent capable of keeping up with the flow of information we take in on a regular basis. As a result, our memory suffers, we dont retain new information, our brains have begun to crave multitasking and our attention spans have gotten much shorter. I was hoping this book would be a deeper dive into this topic, like the subtitle states. However, the other 99% of the book is an assortment of mildly related digressions and history lessons that are largely unnecessary and in some cases, completely without a point. This is ironic considering the topic of the book. I gave it 3 stars because the 1% portion was very good. If you can find a summary online somewhere (again, ironically), that will be a much better use of your time. Also, it is written over ten years ago, so the technology references are very dated.

Definitely Not Shallow

This book really opened my eyes to how the online world has affected so much of the way I think, act and live. While interesting, there is a lot of human history covered into this book that at times is cumbersome to listen to. He goes into a good deal of scientific things also when talking about the brain processes that I didn't really hold on to, but the message is clear.