In the first few chapters of Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, he
says, "We're too busy being dazzled or disturbed by the programming to
notice what's going on inside our heads," and that we are trying to
convince ourselves that we are in control, not the addicting
piece of technology. Carr quotes David Sarnoff from his speech in 1995,
stating, "The products of modern science are not in themselves good or
bad; it is the way they are used that determines their value."
Basically, he is trying to say that we are letting ourselves be
practically enslaved to technology. We spend too much of our time and
energy using the latest models of the iPad, iPod, or any other
"iProducts" as well as other devices like laptops, smartphones, and game
stations.
Using the internet and reading on the screen used to be hard when it
first came out, but we were so used to receiving information so quickly
that it's now hard to read a long novel or article without
distractions.
Just how much has modern devices changed our way of thinking and reading? Do you, as well, "miss your old brain?"
To be honest yes i do agree that technology has taken over our mind, we cant read an entire book with out being distracted by our phone, tv, or ipod. Modern devices have caused a lot of changes, but irs only because we let it, if we really wanted to, you could cut the use of these devices and do it the old fashion way, we could also exile ourselfs from them. for example if you want or need to read a book, then go somewhere that is peaceful and quite, dont stay home where technology is calling your name. technology as you mentioned does have a control over us, but we have the power to stop it. So to answer your question, i dont miss my old brain beacuse while i was growing up technology was already moving up, so i never had the chance to do it the old fashioned way.
ReplyDeleteDo I miss my old brain? Sometimes, I do. The hours I used to spent reading books is minimal these days, and those hours seemed to have transferred online. Usually these days, I seem to only read when I am told or required to do so for educational purposes. Even though I do not read as much as I used to, my body still remembers that exciting rush I felt while reading and picturing the stories of amazing novels. Obviously, I am not the only one of my kind. Nowadays, it has become uncommon to NOT have an apple product such as the iPod Touch, iPhone, or any kind of smartphone. Modern devices have changed people’s habits of reading. Usually, when one would read to find out information or details for school work, but now one can easily search that up or search up certain keywords on a huge article. Researchers have also shown that Internet addiction can lead to ADHD, and Carr has shown us details of people losing their concentration and interest in reading every since the emergence of the Internet. The Internet has not changed us from thinking, but it is simply making us not think at all.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to ask teenagers of the twenty-first century if they miss their old brain because technology has been a major part in most of our lives. Think about an Ipod; it is a fairly modern piece of technology, but it was created in 2001 when most us were four or five. At that age, we didn't do any deep thinking unless it was to answer Dora's mind-boggling question of where Swiper was. So I agree with Lionel, I don't miss my old brain simply because it was molded with the influence of technology and not the old fashioned way of thinking.
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