- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Atlantic Books (1 Sep 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1848872259
- ISBN-13: 978-1848872257
- Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 15.8 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 211,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
In this ground-breaking and compelling book, Nicholas Carr argues that not since Gutenberg invented printing has humanity been exposed to such a mind-altering technology. The Shallows draws on the latest research to show that the Net is literally re-wiring our brains inducing only superficial understanding. As a consequence there are profound changes in the way we live and communicate, remember and socialise - even in our very conception of ourselves. By moving from the depths of thought to the shallows of distraction, the web, it seems, is actually fostering ignorance. The Shallows is not a manifesto for luddites, nor does it seek to turn back the clock. Rather it is a revelatory reminder of how far the Internet has become enmeshed in our daily existence and is affecting the way we think. This landmark book compels us all to look anew at our dependence on this all-pervasive technology.
About the Author
Nicholas Carr is the author of The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google. He is a contributor to the New York Times, Guardian, Financial Times and Wired and was formerly the executive editor of the Harvard Business Review. Nick blogs at www.roughtype.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
`Everywhere you look, you see signs of the Net's hegemony over the packaging and flow of information.',
By J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember (Hardcover)
Is our constant exposure to electronic stimuli good for us? Can we transform the data we receive into the knowledge we need? Are we swapping deep understanding for shallow distractions?In this book, Nicholas Carr argues that our constant exposure to multiple and faster data streams is changing the way our brains are wired. This change, which is due to the inherent plasticity of the brain, tends to reduce our capacity to absorb and retain what we read. Mr Carr cites a number of different studies to support his views, and the book makes for interesting reading. Mr Carr acknowledges that the digital world brings both advantage and disadvantage: `Every tool imposes limitations even as it opens possibilities.' The Internet is a wonderful tool for finding information, but value usually requires some analysis, and often requires a context which is not always immediately obvious. How do we find a balance between those aspects of life that require self-awareness, time and careful consideration, and those aspects of life where an automatic (or semi automatic) response is more appropriate and perhaps even required? Do we understand what choices we have, or are we responding in line with the immediacy of the medium we are using? Are we consumers of data or evaluators of information? Does it matter? I think it does: `The more distracted we become, the less able we are to experience the subtlest, most distinctly human forms of empathy, compassion, and emotion.' The most valuable aspect of this book, to me, was thinking about the short and long term consequences of the Internet. Those of us who grew to adulthood before the Internet shaped the way we work and communicate have (to varying degrees) embraced the benefits and new possibilities afforded. A return to the past is neither possible nor desirable - but conscious choice is both. Jennifer Cameron-Smith
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Scary!,
By
This review is from: The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember (Hardcover)
The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr puts forward the argument that the internet is changing us in ways we may not have realised before. Nicholas Carr is convinced that despite the wide benefits the internet has brought, it is also having a fundamental impact on the physiology of our brains, altering not only the way we perceive reality but how we actually take in information and process it.It is a quite shocking assessment, and one that he backs up with a range of evidence. As a non-expert in this area, I was left somewhat convinced by the cumulative force of the evidence presented, though I retained deep scepticism on the individual bits. The evidence also at times appeared "selective" - not enough studies cited that offer contrarian position. Mr Carr clearly has become convinced of the narrative and brings all the evidence to argue for it. Presentationally, it does start off somewhat slow, but given the subject at hand, one is forced to concentrate if only to avoid falling in the company of shallows. My main quibble is that the book really offers no alternative and for some readers it may read that he has failed to address the deeper metaphysical questions. There are deep questions raised, but it ends up quite hopelessly - not clear just how we are to adapt to this inevitable new world of shallows. Nevertheless, I think he offers enough for others to explore in more depth this fascinating subject. The internet is clearly here to stay, if the dangers cited are real then this demands much more debate than we have had in general media.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating history of how advances in media have changed the human thought process,
By
This review is from: The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember (Hardcover)
This book starts with an absorbing history of how technological advances through the ages, such as the invention of writing and the Gutenberg press, have had a profound impact on the way in which humans think, and as a result on society as a whole. It then explores the science of how the way you use your mind actually changes the physical structure of your brain, which in turn reinforces certain thought processes in a kind of "vicious circle". The central theory of the book seems to be that the period of popular reading ushered in by the Gutenberg press was a kind of "golden era" of deep human thought, but that the internet with its endless distractions is causing us to revert to our earlier, shallower state of thinking. It presents both negative and positive sides of the net though. Generally a very accessible read but very thought-provoking.
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