The Internet vs. the Human Brain

                Nicholas Carr’s article “Does the Internet Make You Dumber?” makes a very convincing argument through his use of examples and quotes. He does very well to bring up intelligent, important people as well as prestigious universities, like Cornell University. In fact, the very beginning sentence recalls a Roman philosopher and even later quotes a Nobel Prize winner. He also describes experiments done; one testing the multi-tasking abilities of those who use the internet often, the other testing the focus of students web browsing. With statements such as theirs backed up by their obvious intellect and success, it’s easy for any reader to accept their opinions, and in the case of this article, believe that the internet is truly making society dumber.

                Clay Shirky’s article doesn’t seem as convincing. He relates his argument to the past, when new inventions and technologies were also questioned. He refers to Guttenberg and the printing press of 16^th century Europe, but not everybody can relate to that. Shirky also seems to attack the concept of books, implying they’re evil and reading them in “an unnatural act”. However, books are often linked to intelligence and learning, so the idea of them being something “evil” doesn’t seem quite right.

                 The overall argument, I believe, is about distractions, and how humans are to spend their time in the future. Both articles argue about how new technologies and internet affect human’s brains, as well as their daily rituals, culture, etc. With all the distractions we are faced with today, it is a legitimate concern to raise about whether or not we, as a growing generation, will be able to focus on important issues, maintain a decent society, and be able to expand in learning and technologies.