The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

Nicholas Carr is concerned that the Internet is slowly eroding our

brains. He contends that whenever a new machine or technology is
introduced to a culture, that society also gives up a part of itself to the
machine in a reciprocal relationship. In the case of the Internet, the
current trend is that of passing great amounts of information from
peoples minds to the Web. The assumption is that storing information
in the cloud will free individuals minds to pursue other types of
thought more useful than memorization. In a sense, people are giving
up a part of themselves to the Internet. Carr sums it up well when he
says, What had long been viewed as a stimulus for personal insight
and creativity came to be seen as a waste of mental energy. (Carr
175) According to Carr, the devaluing of memorization by dumping
information into the cloud instead of our minds would be a degradation
of the human brain. Carr articulates a second concern regarding how
multitasking, as well as the desire to be constantly connected, is
actually inhibiting the amount of information people retain. Prone to
distraction, as a result of social media, e-mail, and push notifications,
he argues that people are spending more time multitasking and less
time retaining anything. An example from the Journal of Computers &
Education supports the negative effects of distractibility in a study
done on students taking notes. Those taking notes with no electronic
distractions performed much better than those who had them. (Wood
et al. 2012)

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The adverse effects of the Internet on the mind should be of
great concern, mostly because it is developing quickly. The old adage
of everything in moderation makes the rapid growth in electronics, as
well as the need to be constantly connected, a glaring warning for
teachers. Carr summarizes Marshall McLuhans idea that, an honest
appraisal of any new technology, or of progress in general, requires a
sensitivity to what is lost as well as what is gained. (Carr, 208) Since a
great portion of our time, money, and emotion is given to electronics
and time on the Net, it would be unwise to ignore something that is so
impactful in shaping our culture. Deciding not spend a couple weeks on
this critical issue could be likened to doing a quick diagnostic scan on a
heart valve blockage instead of giving medicine to make it function
properly again. Finally, as teachers, there is growing pressure to
include technology and even to replace older methods of research with
nascent technologies. Carrs concerns are important to consider so that
technology can be incorporated intentionally in such a way as to
maximize its impact on learning. The College Student Journal focused
on just how the Internet can be a useful tool in the synthesis of
information but also a danger at the same time if it is used only as a
source of shallow data rather than deep thought, If relying upon the
Internet causes students to cease evaluating information one of the
primary purposes of higher education is jeopardized. (Brown,

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

Freeman, & Williamson, 2000) Use of technologies such as the Internet

must be intentional and meaningful, thereby, promoting deep thinking.
Personally, I feel as if new electronic devices are introduced into
my life constantly. This is partly because I often edit video, but it is also
because of a noticeable cultural shift towards more electronics. Videoediting requires a vast array of cameras, microphones, computers,
websites, and software. Even though I use multiple electronic devices
for a project, I am focused on one goal and there is not a whole lot that
can interrupt it. I might have six tabs open on my Internet browser and
three programs to finish the project, but the process is cohesive. I also
stop to think creatively about the project frequently. Despite the
Internets natural tendency to distract me, it does not significantly
impact my completion of the task. If I am driven to work on something,
the distractions offered by the Internet or a phone are minute. To be
fair, I believe this discipline comes from growing up in an age with
fewer technological distractions. Nonetheless, I believe that an
awareness of these tendencies helps to manage them.
Professionally, teaching used to consist of instructing a class of
students and accumulating stacks of papers to grade. Today, this has
morphed into five active web tabs, a computer with dual monitors, an
iPad, a constant flow of notifications and electronic assignments, and
twenty-four students with personal iPads. Multitasking is common and
seemingly necessary just to keep up. I have to purposely take time out

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of lessons to instruct students to turn off their iPads, look at me, and to
listen. Many times, finding a new app or website has brought
excitement, but with this has also come a level of busyness and
distractibility that detracts from my ability to teach as effectively. The
prevailing thought among our staff is that, with time, we will all catch
up and be able to find a balance. Yet, while I think I can find a balance
professionally, it will be more challenging to teach the students the
same skill.
There is no doubt that the Internet is full of distractions that
inhibit deep thought, but these distractions are manageable if a
student is invested in a topic and is taught skills to minimize
interruption. Personally, I enjoy thinking deeply. I also find ways to
make it possible by either blocking ads or taking breaks. It is difficult to
think deeply or read deeply while looking at a busy webpage. In
Firefox, Adblock plus takes out advertisements from web pages.
Without these I can think more deeply about what I am reading and
retain more information. Another program called Instapaper is similar
in that it filters out everything but text on the webpage. The existence
of these programs suggests that people are aware of being distracted
and that they disapprove. Even though Google is in the business of
distraction, (Carr, 153) others are in the business of distraction-killing.
The key then must be informing people of the risks of distraction,

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

which will always exist, and then teaching them how to manage them
so as to minimize the effect they have on learning.
Carr dedicates a great deal of time to consider how distractions,
fragmented information, the urge to be constantly connected, and the
dumping of information in to the cloud affect people negatively.
However, one thing he fails to factor into his arguments is the positive
effect that passion and drive have on learning and retention in spite of
those diversions. Regardless of how fragmented or distracting the
Internet can be, if someone is interested in a topic, they will find the
information they need and retain what is necessary, especially if their
teacher has set a high standard. Carr cites a study on how the
inclusion of hyperlinks impact retention of information. One group was
given text without hyperlinks and the other was given text with
hyperlinks. Following the readings, each group was given a quiz and
the group without hyperlinked text performed better on the quiz. The
question I had was, what if they were reading something they were
passionate about? How would that change the results? People enjoy
reading pointless, mind-numbing information on the Internet. Yet, when
it comes down to doing ones job or reading about the things he or she
is passionate about, not much can stop a person from learning.
References

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Brown, M. Freeman, K. Williamson, C., (Sep 2000) The Importance of
Critical Thinking for Student Use of the Internet. College Student
Journal, Vol. 24 Issue 3. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
Carr, N., (2010). The shallows; What the internet is doing to our brains.
[Kindle iPad version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Wood, E. Zivcakova, Lucia. Gentile, P. Archer, K. De Pasquale, D. Nosko, A. (Jan 2012)
Examining the impact of off-task multi-tasking with technology on
real-time classroom learning. Computers & EducationVol. 58 Issue
1. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com