The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr is an informational novel about the effects the internet has on us. As a writer, Carr focuses on technology and culture. He has written various essays, blog posts, and other novels before The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. Carr covers various topics such as our shortened attention span, which leads to our inability to read lengthy articles and books, supplementary information to solidify his arguments, and how media has changed to follow this shift in informative medium. I believe Carr’s purpose for writing this novel was to explore and to incite a necessary conversation about our heavily technology-dependent culture.
The central theme raised in this …show more content…
One of Carr’s most important claim was perhaps the most noticeable result of internet use, and that is our shortened attention span. He provides insights from language specialists and Literary experts to confirm those who love reading and processing written works have experienced a decrease in their ability to read lengthy pieces. He continues to explain some of the positive effects of having a shortened attention span, such as we are able to absorb information faster than before without reading every word by skimming text. Another important claim Carr discussed was traditional media and how it changed to “catch up” to digital media. He provided examples for television and traditional print media. Television mimicked the internet by incorporating its viewers through hashtags, magazines used more captions and shortened their articles/essays, and through the Kindle, books are accessible through a mobile device with various add-ons such as downloading content without a secure internet …show more content…
I think the novel became heavy-handed at times but I do believe it explored every outlet as needed to argue its stance in relation to the internet and how it influences us. It could have been worthwhile if it explored the reality of a non-technological world after the rise of digital media, but I did not find it completely necessary. The general census of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains is positive and the text became a New York Times Best Seller. However, The New York Times critique of the novel pointed out flaws in Carr’s writing, such as his pessimistic approach to the topic. I do agree with The New York Times’ assessment, Carr could have included—or spent more time developing more positive outcomes of internet use instead of its negatives. However, his cynical approach did not affect my viewpoint of his novel, his opinion, or my personal
The central theme raised in this …show more content…
One of Carr’s most important claim was perhaps the most noticeable result of internet use, and that is our shortened attention span. He provides insights from language specialists and Literary experts to confirm those who love reading and processing written works have experienced a decrease in their ability to read lengthy pieces. He continues to explain some of the positive effects of having a shortened attention span, such as we are able to absorb information faster than before without reading every word by skimming text. Another important claim Carr discussed was traditional media and how it changed to “catch up” to digital media. He provided examples for television and traditional print media. Television mimicked the internet by incorporating its viewers through hashtags, magazines used more captions and shortened their articles/essays, and through the Kindle, books are accessible through a mobile device with various add-ons such as downloading content without a secure internet …show more content…
I think the novel became heavy-handed at times but I do believe it explored every outlet as needed to argue its stance in relation to the internet and how it influences us. It could have been worthwhile if it explored the reality of a non-technological world after the rise of digital media, but I did not find it completely necessary. The general census of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains is positive and the text became a New York Times Best Seller. However, The New York Times critique of the novel pointed out flaws in Carr’s writing, such as his pessimistic approach to the topic. I do agree with The New York Times’ assessment, Carr could have included—or spent more time developing more positive outcomes of internet use instead of its negatives. However, his cynical approach did not affect my viewpoint of his novel, his opinion, or my personal