The Shallows
by Nicholas G. Carr · first published 2010
58% recommend39% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Examines how constant internet use affects attention, concentration and the brain, drawing on brain plasticity and the way technology reshapes us. Suits people who feel they can't focus anymore, and tech workers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Examines the influences computer-delivered information may have on human cognition using Marshall McLuhan as the hook, the history of communication as the trajectory, and brain science as the tool.
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For anybody interested in diving deeper into this subject, I would recommend reading The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. It was written in 2011, but is still very applicable today. Brain plasticity is a real concept and our constant connection to the Internet affects us. https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/d...
on “Are we losing our ability to remember?” ↗You might be interested in The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains http://www.amazon.com/The-Shallows-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/... I'm reading it right now and, if nothing else, can totally relate to "I can't concentrate on…
on “Super-star programmers” ↗…of literature, versus the latest novella of the day? Changes in technology have a fundamental impact on the way humans interacting with the world (for better or worse), an interesting book called The Shallows [1] highlights some of these points. Is the technology we're utilizing moving us in a direction that is long-term beneficial or harmful? People can access information more easily, but at the expense of…
on “No One Is More Excited For Google Glass Than Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg” ↗An interesting book on this topic: https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/d... A review: Carr—author of The Big Switch (2007) and the much-discussed Atlantic Monthly story “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”—is an astute critic of the information technology…
on “How the Internet Changes Our Thoughts and Behaviors for the Worse (2011)” ↗I don't think that's the reason. It may be the internet itself and our low-attention-span-culture. I highly recommend you check out "The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains", by Nicholas Carr [0]. [0] - https://www.amazon.ca/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp... --- edit: grammar
on “Ask HN: What do you struggle with?” ↗His book, The Shallows, is an incredible journey into the human/technology relationship. As much as we create and change technology, it likewise changes us. Worth a read for anyone in tech. https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/d...
on “Nicholas Carr on deep reading and digital thinking” ↗…"is more accurate" - because that would be an impossible claim. You said "is less dangerous" which is also patently false. This book is the beginning of most study on the subject: https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/d... It's unequivocal and damning.
on “The “misinformation problem” seems like misinformation” ↗See also Sherry Turkle[1], Nicholas Carr[2], etc. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Alone-Together-Expect-Technology-Other... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp...
on “Google Glass” ↗…internet is like candy for your brain, and constant exposure might have subtle -- perhaps not yet fully recognized or appreciated -- effects on our cognition. It does, actually. Read Nicholas Carr's 'The Shallows' [0], it's a pretty decent book about the subject. It also starts off with comparing our usage of the internet with the rise of reading - you know, books and the like. History lesson; humans needed to…
on “Teenagers and the Internet” ↗It's called 'The Shallows', and is an interesting read: http://www.amazon.com/The-Shallows-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/...
on “Distraction is a kind of obesity of the mind” ↗"The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains" by Nicholas Carr might be of interest to you. And, well, to almost everyone here - your symptoms probably already appeared in one way or another to anyone who's…
on “The attention economy” ↗I'm disappointed this article didn't get much attention here. I've loved Carr's 'The Shallows' [1]. Definitely a recommended read for IT people. https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/d...
on “The internet as an engine of liberation is an innocent fraud” ↗I used to have that feeling. Reading The Shallows[1] made me stop and think about what might be causing it, and forced me to think about what I might do about it. My solution was to drastically cut back my internet use most of the time I'd have spent…
on “Alan Kay's reading list” ↗The Shallows deals with topic. I bought a second-hand copy of 'The Shallows' by Nicholas G. Carr a few years ago. To be honest I bought it to read it and laugh at it, but he made his point very powerfully and convincingly.
on “We need to reclaim our attention” ↗…Understanding & Treating Addiction | Huberman Lab Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3JLaF_4Tz8 - The book “The Molecule of More” by by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long. - The book “The Shallows” by Nicholas Carr.
on “I'm an addict” ↗