While I believe that continuous use of the internet may indeed change the way our brains think and process information in such a way that causes us to become less focused as Carr argues, I tend to agree with Johnson that the benefits we gain from new technologies outweighs what we lose from them.
Johnson states that, “Quiet contemplation has led to its fair share of important thoughts. But it cannot be denied that good ideas also emerge in networks.” I love to read, and make it a point to try to read at least one book a month, which I think helps to enrich my mind. I enjoy that time to decompress and tune out the rest of the world. But solitary reading is very static - I reach conclusions and make associations about what I read based on my own experiences, which can vary drastically from another person’s interpretations of the same book. It is only by engaging with other people in discussions about the book I read, which I can do easily online, that many new possibilities and perspectives become available to me that I never would’ve considered. For me it provides another layer of understanding and comprehension that doesn’t occur when reading alone. Sometimes it can be difficult to concentrate on long passages, although I don’t agree with Carr that the internet is completely to blame for that. Typically I find that my concentration is largely affected by my interest in the subject, not in the format of the material. Even if the internet is to blame for my lack of concentration, the exchange of ideas is more important to me than an occasional lack of focus.
Johnson also describes using the “blogosphere” to multitask and exchange ideas, and that his ability to accomplish so many tasks in a single day would be reduced if he had to limit his exchanges to the phone, mail, and face to face meetings. I have found this to be true in my own life as well. I have friends and family that live far away, and would not be able to keep in touch so easily and keep up to date with their lives if I wasn’t connected to them on Facebook.
When I was considering a solo trip through Europe, I wouldn’t have been able to easily navigate my way through several foreign countries without the help of the internet. I researched places to stay, means of transportation, sightseeing activities, etc. Being able to have a wealth of information at my fingertips meant being able to effectively budget my time and money before I even left home. This meant I was able to focus on the things that were most important to me, and cut out any extraneous activities that didn’t fit into the budget. If I hadn’t had access to train schedules online, I might have overestimated or underestimated how long it took to get to another city, and missed out on a place I wanted to visit. If I didn’t have access to the cost for hotels, transportation, food, etc., I might have found that I didn’t have enough money. It would’ve been pretty scary to run out of money in a foreign country. It was also extremely helpful to read reviews from other travelers, to find out whether or not the hotel was clean and in a safe area. Safety was a particular concern since I was traveling alone, and I was able to research what other solo travelers had done to keep themselves safe.
Johnson asserts that in regards to technology, “The question is whether the rewards of the change are worth the liabilities.” Based on my own experiences, I believe that the rewards of volumes of useful data at my fingertips is worth the risk of the possibility of a slight decrease in my concentration levels.
Johnson states that, “Quiet contemplation has led to its fair share of important thoughts. But it cannot be denied that good ideas also emerge in networks.” I love to read, and make it a point to try to read at least one book a month, which I think helps to enrich my mind. I enjoy that time to decompress and tune out the rest of the world. But solitary reading is very static - I reach conclusions and make associations about what I read based on my own experiences, which can vary drastically from another person’s interpretations of the same book. It is only by engaging with other people in discussions about the book I read, which I can do easily online, that many new possibilities and perspectives become available to me that I never would’ve considered. For me it provides another layer of understanding and comprehension that doesn’t occur when reading alone. Sometimes it can be difficult to concentrate on long passages, although I don’t agree with Carr that the internet is completely to blame for that. Typically I find that my concentration is largely affected by my interest in the subject, not in the format of the material. Even if the internet is to blame for my lack of concentration, the exchange of ideas is more important to me than an occasional lack of focus.
Johnson also describes using the “blogosphere” to multitask and exchange ideas, and that his ability to accomplish so many tasks in a single day would be reduced if he had to limit his exchanges to the phone, mail, and face to face meetings. I have found this to be true in my own life as well. I have friends and family that live far away, and would not be able to keep in touch so easily and keep up to date with their lives if I wasn’t connected to them on Facebook.
When I was considering a solo trip through Europe, I wouldn’t have been able to easily navigate my way through several foreign countries without the help of the internet. I researched places to stay, means of transportation, sightseeing activities, etc. Being able to have a wealth of information at my fingertips meant being able to effectively budget my time and money before I even left home. This meant I was able to focus on the things that were most important to me, and cut out any extraneous activities that didn’t fit into the budget. If I hadn’t had access to train schedules online, I might have overestimated or underestimated how long it took to get to another city, and missed out on a place I wanted to visit. If I didn’t have access to the cost for hotels, transportation, food, etc., I might have found that I didn’t have enough money. It would’ve been pretty scary to run out of money in a foreign country. It was also extremely helpful to read reviews from other travelers, to find out whether or not the hotel was clean and in a safe area. Safety was a particular concern since I was traveling alone, and I was able to research what other solo travelers had done to keep themselves safe.
Johnson asserts that in regards to technology, “The question is whether the rewards of the change are worth the liabilities.” Based on my own experiences, I believe that the rewards of volumes of useful data at my fingertips is worth the risk of the possibility of a slight decrease in my concentration levels.