The Shallows

I just read Nicholas Carr's The Shallows over the holiday weekend, and I found it very interesting. The book is a continuation of an article that he wrote a couple of years ago entitled "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" His main claim is that technology has rewired our brains, and one of the biggest changes has been in our ability to focus and concentrate for lengthy periods of time on things like reading books. He interviews a number of people who study the brain, and they are coming up with some astounding research, especially about young people. If today's students are constantly distracted by checking their Facebook pages, texting and email, then they may have a harder time focusing.

Another thing I found interesting is that throughout history, new inventions were met with skepticism. Socrates believed that writing things down would lead to people not being able to think on their feet--so he valued oratory over writing. Whatever permanent changes take place in the way people think in the next 50 to 100 years, I just hope that we improve on our abilities to think critically and communicate effectively. These are valued by employers more than anything else.