The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains

Welcome! Today we’ll be reviewing The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains by Nicholas Carr.

Nicholas Carr, being the author of other books such as “Does IT Matter?” and “Utopia is Creepy”, can hardly be argued as an unbiased source of information on the matters of technology. It is important to point out, however painful that is being a lover of technology myself, that Carr is likely correct – the internet is changing our brains. In his book “The Shallows”, Carr stands on a stark number of scientifically backed case studies, examples, and evidence to show that the internet, while improving some areas of cognition, is greatly reducing others such as our ability to learn, comprehend, and retain information and new skills at a deep level.

For example, Carr cites a meta case study by Patricia Greenfield who looked more than 50 studies to come to the conclusion that, while our visual-spatial skills are improving from continued internet use, other critical skills such as our deep reading and learning abilities suffer. In another example, Carr cites the work of neuroscientist James Olds which suggests that repeated internet use is literally rewiring our brains, making use of our brains neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to rewire itself) to effectively train our brains to prioritize quick, shallow processing and discard deeper analysis and critical thinking skills.

Truthfully – Carr’s book is bitter sweet medicine. While not unbiased, he raises some valid concerns about our internet use, reliance, and the detrimental effects it has on our brains, and for this reason I think his book serves a useful purpose. If you’re interested in learning more about the internet and how it’s changing our brains, I highly recommend you pick up “The Shallows” today!