The rise of the Internet, even though inevitable, has been one that has arguably created mixed reactions from different individuals, and the impact has usually depended on the age of an individual. For example, people born to Generation X, a cohort preceding Generation X and following the baby boomers, think the internet is less important. This is a category of individuals born between 1965 and 1980 who strongly prefer doing things the old-fashioned way. They are often seen openly critical of the impact of social media and other internet-powered platforms. For most millennials, commonly termed as Generation Y, the Internet has been a blessing that has significantly shaped and improved the way the world thinks. For this category of people born between the 80s and 2000s, technologies powered by the Internet, including social media platforms, have revolutionized the way human beings think, interact, and do business. However, most people agree that the impact is both negative and positive. Carr and Shirky are examples of experts that agree that the internet influences the way we think, although both positively and negatively.
Firstly, even though Carr and Shirky slightly disagree how the internet is affecting the way we think and behave, they are indubitably in agreement that the continued use of the internet is significantly affecting the way we think. Carr agrees that the internet has been a godsend revelation as it has improved research work profoundly. Research that previously needed days or months to complete because of the challenge of locating periodicals or books in the library has now been made easy. All that is needed today to locate a quote or exact telltale fact is merely a quick click on a few hyperlinks or a little Google searches. Carr (2008) further adds that the Internet has become a universal conduit, a medium for a majority of the information that flows into the mind from computers or smartphones. It provides immediate access to a wider pool of information, which can essentially benefit the cognitive aspect of the brain. Clive Thompson in his book Wired’s thinks this incredibly rich source of information can potentially be a massive “book to thinking.”
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Another huge benefit of the internet is that it has made reading easier, more efficient, and immediate. According to Shirky, the internet is an environment or platform where ideas and opinions are generated and made instantly available to millions of people globally. The ubiquity of the information on the Internet, coupled with the attractiveness of text-messaging through smartphones, is responsible for the improved immediacy and efficiency of reading. For that reason, more people are now reading books and articles, including newspapers, than in the 70 and 80s, when radio and television were the medium of choice for many(Carr & Shirky, 2011).
However, Carr thinks that this boon comes at a price. Even though it supplies the material for cognitive thinking, they also affect the entire process of thought. According to Carr (2008), the internet is a major force capable of tinkering and reshaping the neural circuitry. It is remapping and reprogramming the human memory by chipping away the ability for contemplation and concentration. It shuts down or prohibits the human brain from concentrating on lengthy articles or books as they find themselves often distracted. The urge to constantly check Gmail accounts, or click on Google ads, is essentially damaging the deep reading culture among writers and readers that was existent in previous years (Carr & Shirky, 2011).
Carr uses anecdotal evidence to confirm that the internet is influencing negatively our mental capabilities. For example, both Bruce Friedman, a blogger constantly writing about the application of computers in medicine, and Scott Karp, an online media blogger, are typical examples of people unable to concentrate and complete lengthy articles or books. Besides anecdotal evidence, studies also recently conducted by researchers from University College London on online research habits have shown that using online platforms for research work, including e-books and web journals, can create “skimming” behavior. Users often tend to develop the habit of hopping from one source to another, or one page to another, without returning back.
Lastly, although the internet has improved efficiency and immediacy among readers, which has also significantly improved out cognitive behavior, it has damaged the human thinking. Reading online is hurting our capacity to interpret information and text, disallowing people to create critical mental links that occur when reading deeply, especially without distraction. People are now simply “decoders of information” (Carr, 2008). The main reason the internet is deeply affecting human thought is that our brains are malleable. The manner in which Friedrich Nietzsche through his typewriter managed to transform his style of writing, which permitted him after a while to even type with eyes closed, demonstrates that human brains are infinitely malleable rather than fixed. Even the brain of an adult is “plastic” in nature, meaning that it can form new networks and can reprogram itself. This can essentially cause permanent behavior change. As such, the internet and other technologies are significantly impacting how humans behave, reason, and live. It is becoming the new printing press, clock, map, calculator, telephone, calculator, as well as TV and radio.
References
Carr, N. (2008, July). Is Google making us stupid? The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/
Carr, N., & Shirky, C. (2011). Clay Shirky vs. Nicholas Carr: how the internet has changed the way we think about human interaction. Retrieved from https://laurenericksondotcom.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/clay-shirky-vs-nicholas-carr-how-do-mass-amounts-of-information-immediately-available-on-the-web-affect-human-behavior-and-human-interaction/
