The sheer volume of data we are exposed to when we surf the web may be impressive, but our brains, Carr argues, are not equipped to both navigate the distractions inherent in the design of the Internet and consolidate deep and meaningful new elements of knowledge. Our apps and tools are so easy to use that we are developing a ravenous appetite for more and more information, all consumed at breakneck speeds. With the invention of the Internet, this obsession with efficiency spiraled out of control. The system as a whole was seen as more important than the individual.
However, after the Industrial Revolution, a new definition of intelligence started to take hold, one that privileged efficiency and multi-tasking over deep thinking. Humans used to define intelligence as the extent to which a person had a “literary mind,” or a mind capable of sitting quietly and solving complex problems. The older definition is associated with the era of print literature. One of Carr’s primary comparisons in the book is between two types of intelligence. Carr worries that we are trading in valuable skills for a type of intelligence that is adapting users to their computers, instead of the other way around. We are more socially focused and efficient than ever before––but these benefits come at a price.
Our computers, phones and digital tools allow us constant access to seemingly infinite information and give us a sense of connectivity. In the digital age, we are overwhelmed with stimuli. Nicholas Carr’s book The Shallows examines the effect Internet technology is having on the human mind.
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