INTERNET FRIEND OR FOE

As I read The Shallows by Nicholas Carr it was apparent that the internet both very helpful and harmful to us. In the past in order to research a subject one would have to spend hours in the library reading various books on the topic. Fortunately, now we can learn just about the same information using the internet in a few minutes with a couple of Google searches. We can also use the internet to shop, pay bills, manage our businesses from home, and socialize with our loved ones. Sadly this wonderful creation also has a discrete DARK SIDE.  When browsing the web we want to find the information we are looking for quickly. Often times we don't find what were looking for and begin to skim the webpage in search of what we want.  This bad habit tends to also occur as we read the newspapers, textbooks, books, and important documents. When I started off reading the summer books I really struggled to stay focused and comprehend what was going on. I would easily turn my attention to other things like the clock which I never really acknowledged before. I chose to put the reading aside and read it while abroad in Guatemala. There I had no distractions and was totally embedded in the reading and actually reflected on my readings after I had finished. Now that I am back in the states it increasingly difficult to concentrate on my school work with the internet constantly yearning for me  as me as I pass by my computer. The internet has been helpful to me but it has taken its toll on me extremely impatient throughout my readings and makes me wonder if it is a true friend or a foe in disguise.