Chapter 9, The Shallows Summary and Response

Summary

Nicholas Carr, in "Search, Memory," the ninth chapter in his book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, Carr talks about the brain and how it holds short term memory and long term memory. He starts off by talking about how the internet has been a go-to place for information that isn't stored in the brain. He basically means that the internet has replaced the memory of the brain. Carr later talks about the brains limitless ability to store information. A lot of people these days use the internet to gather information. This process however isn't always good because memorization requires attention and depth, something that we don't train our brains to do when we are reading information online. All we really do is just skim the information and not process them.

Response

Carr says in Chaper 9 of his book, "People didn't have to memorize everything anymore. They could look it up." This sentence struck me because it was exactly what I do a lot, although it isn't a good technique. Like Carr says, memorization requires attention and depth. When we constantly use the internet for every little bit of information, we don't truly learn anything because all we do is skim the information. Me personally, when people try to verbally teach me things, sometimes I find myself not really pay attention because I am a visual person, and I need to look at things on the internet.

Everything Bad is Good For You: Games, Summary and Response

Games

Steven Johnson in, "Games", the first section under Part One of his book, "Everthing Bad Is Good For You" , Johnson talks about video games and how they aren't all that bad. Ever since he was introduced to games as a young kid, he was hooked. He was hooked because of how the games made his mind work, and work in a positive way that is. Johnson brings up the skills and experiences that video games are valued. He also talks about why people are so captivated by video games, such as flashy graphics, interactivity, and sex and violence. The point he makes in this reading is that even though video games contain negative contents, it shouldn't be considered a completely bad thing. He wants people to see the positive effects of video games and how it works the mind. For instance, video games can improve our decision making skills and improve social relationships.

Steven Johnson brings up the idea about how reading can be rewarding and have a positive effect on the brain. He says that, "We should all encourage our kids to read more, to develop comfort with and an appetite for reading." I agree with him. Reading is just more than looking at words. It takes "concentration, attention, and the ability to make sense of words.", like he mentions in the book. I feel like when I read, I have to really visualize the words or else I wouldn't understand it. I, myself also think that reading is rewarding such as learning new vocabulary words. I have a little sister that often brings home a book. Whenever I catch her reading a book, whether it contains a lot of pictures or a combination of both, she seems really interested in it. And that is what intrigues me because of how powerful words and pictures can be. Even though I don't like reading in general, I would definitely teach my kids later on in life, the importance of reading.

Chapter 5 Response

The sentence,"American children between the ages two and eleven were using the Net about eleven hours a week in 2009..." , I would have to disagree with. The reason why I disagree with Carr is because it doesn't make sense that kids that young, especially at around 2 years old can be able to use the Net for the amount of time that was stated. The one sentence Carr wrote that I agree with would have to be the sentence where he said that "the time we devote to the Net comes out of the time we would otherwise spend watching TV." I agrred with Carr on this one because I, personally found myself using the internet more than the TV. I think its simply because the internet nowadays have a lot to offer, all in one place. For instant I can watch my show on MTV.com, and than after go to Yahoo.com to look at some news articles. That way I can stay in one place and get access to all the media resources I want.

Chapter 5 Summary

Nicholas Carr, in "The medium of the most general nature," the fifth chapter in his book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, Carr talks about the transition from old techologies to new technologies. He starts off by introducing Alan Turing and Charles Babbage who both played an important role in the creation of the programmable machine. The new programmable machines allowed text, pictures, and sounds to be accessed online. This new technological overcame the use of old technologies. People around the world changed the way they read books, listen to music, and watch movies. On the downside, Carr brings up the loss of profit from businesses. But as the Net grows, businesses have learned to adapt with it. It is astonishing to think about how technology has taken over our lives compared to the past. Carr said in one of his paragraphs that, "Our use of the Net will only grow, and its impact on us will only strengthen, as it becomes ever more present in our lives."