In the beginning of The
Shallows by Nicholas Carr, he mentions how the Internet has negatively
altered his ability to concentrate on tasks at hand. He explains how he finds
it difficult to read a page of a book without getting distracted by his
surroundings. Ironically, as I read this, my eyes were wandering from the pages
in the book to the Summer Olympics on the television screen. Like Carr, my
ability to focus has dramatically degenerated throughout the years after I
began surfing the Internet. I remember a few years ago, before I had access to
Internet at home, I could easily submerge myself into a book of any genre
without having to even look up from the pages for hours and hours. When
freshman year began and my parents finally decided to get Internet, my
concentration started to decay. Instead of reading a book page to page, I would
consistently scan pages or be forced to read the same sentence repeatedly until
my brain makes up its mind and wants to let the words make sense in my head. I
never could have guessed that such egregious habits could come from something
so essential to my life.
Something like this had never crossed my mind before I read this book, so is this really the only effect it has on our mind?
I think that the internet really has affected our brains. I had a problem exactly like yours. When I was younger I didn't have the internet as my entertainment, I used books and television as my entertainment, but ever since my family decided to get a computer I've replaced reading books with reading online articles and television with funny YouTube videos. I think that if my family never decided to get a computer I would still be reading books for entertainment.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has definitely affected our brains whether we want to fight the truth or not. I have lost interest in reading books for leisure and it really does make me sad now. I miss the feeling of holding a book and actually enjoying the text within the book and not being forced to finish a book. What is worse now is that we don't admit that the internet is rotting our brains. We continually blame the teachers for giving a huge workload and try to find the answers online when in reality it is all in the textbook and in our brains. We also rely on sparknotes and other chapter summary sites just to "get the work done". I really regret doing such things but I can't help it. We are in an era where technology is at its peak and we will continually be victims if we don't control it.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has affected our brains, but i still enjoy reading books for leisure. I still become immersed in a book and at times everything around me disappears. However, when the TV is on or I'm sitting at the computer it is very hard to concentrate. I think as long as we avoid the distractions that cause our minds to wander we can focus on things such as books and homework.
ReplyDeleteThis is indefinitely not the only major effect the Internet has on people. It clouds our judgment and twists our perception and thought process as well. When exposed to the Internet too much, one becomes isolated away and less social. This really does mess someone up considering that social skills are what is needed for a good portion of jobs. When their judgment is clouded with things they saw online, they now think they are living in that place on the Internet, making them unaware of any surroundings and a slave of diconnectivity. The ability to perceive is key to functioning in everyday life. When that is affected, one is no longer able to function properly.
ReplyDeleteI am not so much affected by television as I am by music. I have learned that I get songs stuck in my head really easily, so when I read something, I must not listen or sing any tune for at least twenty minutes. This way, I can fully concentrate and understand what I am reading and have a much better understanding for what I read.
All in all, if one is on it all the time, the Internet does distract, twist, and decay simple skills that are necessary for a good life.