Artifact #3 Response

      Nicholas Carr argues that the Internet has changed our way of thinking in his book, "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains." As he discusses his book, Carr provides evidence on why he believes the Internet has caused people to lose the ability to focus on things for an extended period of time. He says that deep, contemplative thought is not as common in today's society. Carr begins with simple ideas about ancient humans and explains that it would not be beneficial for a caveman to spend a prolonged period of time focusing on one thing. This would make him vulnerable to other predators and dangers. At that time, it would be important to be alert and watch out for anything that could potentially threaten him. As Carr moves closer to recent history, he touches on the inventions of the space between words and the printing press. He describes how books allowed people to engage in deep thought and reflection. People developed the skills to block out all the other stimuli and narrow in on the words on the page. Carr argues that the Internet has the opposite effect on people. There are always pop-ups, links, pictures, and ads on a web page that make it difficult to focus on one particular thing. People have developed the ability to concentrate on many things at once and process all of that information very quickly and efficiently. Although this is a positive effect of the Internet, many people are no longer able to become immersed in contemplation without feeling the need to check up on the Internet.
      I think Carr raises a lot of interesting points. I know that when I read I often become irritable after reading only a couple pages and I get a nagging feeling to check my phone or the Internet. Carr describes how web pages have lead to streams of information. With the speed of sending messages, the information is always changing and it takes a lot of attention to stay on top of it all. Because this information is always changing, there is not enough time for people to give serious thought to a particular topic. People have become better at multi-tasking but have lost the ability to concentrate on one thing for an extended period of time. One thing that I thought was really interesting was the invention of the space between words. I guess I never really thought about it before. If you're trying to put the words you're saying onto paper, it wouldn't be obvious to put a space between them because you don't pause after each word. This allowed the act of reading to become much easier and allowed for the growth of inward thought and reflection. I think it will take a major issue for people to seriously consider taking steps to increase their ability to effectively focus on one thing for a period of time. People love the Internet and other social media devices that allow the flow of information to be almost instantaneous. It definitely keeps things interesting.