After reading, Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, I recognized many of his points he makes in the book. He states that internet use has many effects that stem from internet's click-and-go format. We've become skittish when analyzing documents. For example, users are prone to skimming pages of work and only looking for notable words. I have noticed the same effect on myself. Whenever I read pages online, I either skip long reads or just look for important words to start off on. Also, doing homework on the computer usually ends up with me doing something else instead of finishing homework in one go.
After, reading the book, I reevaluated myself. I now read entire pages and focus on one thing before moving onto something else. Postman mentions in Amusing Ourselves to Death that awareness of effects is the answer to solving problems we may have. My questions are have you taken Postman's and Carr's statements into consideration? Have you tried to atone for your downfalls of internet use by improving our habits on the computer? Can we undo the wrong that the internet has caused?
I have tried to start changing my habits. Of course, I can't give up the internet entirely. But I do exercise more moderation than before. I also try to spend more time reading or playing an instrument than i do online. The answer to this problem is not to forgo the internet, but to use it in moderation and in balance with the other things in life.
ReplyDeleteThe impact of these two books are quite astounding. Both writers presented their thoughts in ways that seemed so relevant to most of our lives that it was quite a slap in the face. Upon reading these two books, I have definitely taken into consideration that maybe the internet IS corrupting our brains, and maybe I SHOULD refrain from my excessive usage of the internet. I tried it for a bit, but quite frankly, I could not stay away.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the reason I could not avoid the internet is because everything involves the internet nowadays. It appears to be inevitable to stay away. I've tried avoiding the internet after I concluded Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, but I realized that I had to get back on this blog and discuss it with my peers. After searching for a topic to discuss or threads to respond to, I found myself browsing random websites, clicking from link to link. Maybe we can still undo the negative effects of the internet, but it definitely takes quite a bit of effort in our part.
It’s hard to try to stop being so easily amused while using the internet. After reading about the cell phone novels, I was trying to figure out what “Mahou no iRando” meant for the longest time. I actually went on another cell phone novel website after failing to find Mahou no iRando and started reading three “novels” at once. I’m also messaging friends on Facebook, watching an anime for the fiftieth time, and looking up more anime to watch at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI have other homework to do, but with the world literally at our fingertips and packed into a computer, I still want to be entertained and see what else there is out there to entertain me even further.
Of course, I tried to try to stop using the computer, but I need it for other AP and honors homework to do, so I would end up getting distracted again.
Postman and Carr made me realize what was happening with my brain and gradual downfall into a short-term attention span, but it’s hard to use the Internet and other devices sparingly without going off-track on your work. I suppose it just takes a lot of discipline and practice- much of what we just don’t want to do at times…