What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains

A friend of mine recently recommended, "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains". I haven’t read it yet, but it looks good. Here is a short description of some of the author’s findings:Building on the insights of thinkers from Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a convincing case that every information technology carries an intellectual ethic — a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. He explains how the printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In stark contrast, the Internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources. Its ethic is that of the industrialist, an ethic of speed and efficiency, of optimized production and consumption — and how the Net is remaking us in its own image. We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection.

Related posts:

* Companies that Think Like This Won’t Get Very Far
* What Exactly is Thinking Outside the Box?
* The Mental Price of Multitasking
* A Culture of Discipline Plus an Ethic of Entrepreneurship