Post by matthewlogan on Aug 14, 2011 11:49:23 GMT -5
I completely agree with Carr that the internet is changing the way we think. Due to the access of massive amounts of data, articles and information we have changed our way of reading it. Instead of reading a long, time consuming article, we condense the information and look for the immediate answer. We are becoming more machine-like; more of taking in information and decoding what it says instead of taking the time to interpret it. Instead of actually learning the information and storing it in our long term memory; we memorize it just long enough to use it, forget it, then look it up again whenever we need it.
“I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory. My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think” (Carr, 2nd paragraph). I too can feel the phenomenon happening to me. I can tell that my brain is rewiring its self to compete with the web. Instead of looking up a word in the dictionary, I simply pull out my phone, type it in and have my phone tell me how to spell it along with the definition. The way I research has drastically changed due to Google. Before, I would work with books and encyclopedias to find my information. Now I go to Google, type what I need in the search engine and let it do all the research for me. The creation of Google and having access to unlimited amounts of information at my finger tips and instantly obtaining it, is reprogramming my brain and changing my way of thinking.
“They typically read no more than one or two pages of an article or book before they would “bounce” out to another site” (Carr, page one). The web is also having this effect on me. It is nearly impossible for me to read more than a couple pages without wanting to go insane. Even trying to write this essay is difficult. I find myself restless, fidgety and unable to stay focused. I keep looking for something else to do such as: going outside, watch TV, get something to eat, play with my pets, etc… having a conversion that takes more than a few minutes drives me nuts! I feel like my brain is fighting everything I do. I find myself struggling to finish a workout or a run because I get bored. I feel like I must find a new activity or my brain will shut down. This also happens to me on the football field while getting yelled at by Coach Perry. I will feel my mind drifting out into space and begin think of something I did or need to do, which ends up by him ripping off my helmet and chucking it across the field.
I love this essay and agree that our way of thinking is changing. We are so dependent on the web that it is scary. Our lives would shut down if the web crashed. We need to realize what the web is doing to our minds. Put down the phones, shut down the computer and go read a book or at least try to get past the bib on the back.
“I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory. My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think” (Carr, 2nd paragraph). I too can feel the phenomenon happening to me. I can tell that my brain is rewiring its self to compete with the web. Instead of looking up a word in the dictionary, I simply pull out my phone, type it in and have my phone tell me how to spell it along with the definition. The way I research has drastically changed due to Google. Before, I would work with books and encyclopedias to find my information. Now I go to Google, type what I need in the search engine and let it do all the research for me. The creation of Google and having access to unlimited amounts of information at my finger tips and instantly obtaining it, is reprogramming my brain and changing my way of thinking.
“They typically read no more than one or two pages of an article or book before they would “bounce” out to another site” (Carr, page one). The web is also having this effect on me. It is nearly impossible for me to read more than a couple pages without wanting to go insane. Even trying to write this essay is difficult. I find myself restless, fidgety and unable to stay focused. I keep looking for something else to do such as: going outside, watch TV, get something to eat, play with my pets, etc… having a conversion that takes more than a few minutes drives me nuts! I feel like my brain is fighting everything I do. I find myself struggling to finish a workout or a run because I get bored. I feel like I must find a new activity or my brain will shut down. This also happens to me on the football field while getting yelled at by Coach Perry. I will feel my mind drifting out into space and begin think of something I did or need to do, which ends up by him ripping off my helmet and chucking it across the field.
I love this essay and agree that our way of thinking is changing. We are so dependent on the web that it is scary. Our lives would shut down if the web crashed. We need to realize what the web is doing to our minds. Put down the phones, shut down the computer and go read a book or at least try to get past the bib on the back.