I have just begun reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr and I realized that a lot of the reason people Carr quoted didn't read deeply was because they didn't have time. Has today's fast-paced society made technology a main source of information, or has technology made today's society fast-paced?
I know many students give into the convenience of certain websites that give them quick and useful information to help them through school, i.e. Sparknotes. But I believe this "convenience" is more so a hindrance. When people use these sites they get a quick summary in someone else's words rather than formulating their own thoughts simply because they fear it would take too much time. Sometimes these summaries and short-cuts are harder to understand than reading the actual book, which can lead to more time-loss. In the time you spend clicking through sites to get a certain chapter summary, you could have had that chapter already finished with your own summary in hand. What I believe Carr is trying to point out in the beginning of his book is that people need to take the time to forget about the fast-paced world around them (as hard as that may be with all the Facebook updates and Tweets) and to really take the time to read deeply and and enjoy it.
To be honest, i agree with you, we take to many short cuts instead of going the mile and getting it done the right way. Some people might say by looking up some summaries it easier, takes less time and less stress, but i think thats wrong , like you said "In the time you spend clicking through sites to get a certain chapter summary, you could have had that chapter already finished with your own summary in hand". Your going to cause way more stress on yourself by having to look through so many sites just to mind that one summarie. What people need to do is take it slow, smell the roses and like you said "enjoy it".
ReplyDelete