Comments on: Cognitive Consequences: A Conversation with Nicholas Carr

By: forbes

forbes — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:36:50 +0000

I read this and found it intriguing. I have had a T.B.I. and I find the internet as a way to get lost, in the ability of what do i want.

By: John Kennedy

John Kennedy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:12:03 +0000

Fortunately we have been able to use cutting edge mental training to counteract these results. We learn as children from interaction with our environment and modeling from adults – as the richness of interaction devolves (picture growing up on a farm) to single sensory inputs (screen) and good adult modeling fades due to lack of good models and time constraints, it will only get worse in the future. UNLESS we use the principles of plasticity to counteract these trends.

Our Combat Brain Training program does this in just hours for anyone at any age using targeted neuro-excitation – any one can learn how to adopt these techniques without the need to remove electronic stimulation from their lives. But like anything beneficial – it takes work!

By: Evan Plaice

Evan Plaice — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:18:19 +0000

Blame the internets…

Those blasted internets taking all of my time and attention against my will.

The difference between journaling and literature is, literature is written in a timeless way that’s supposed to last the ages.

I would consider “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” to be just another money generating ‘controversy of the moment’ journal entry geared to capture the reader’s attention for a little while and recede into the realm of irrelevance thereafter.

If the author really cared about literature, he’d be writing it. Not, blaming the internet for his egotistic compulsive drives to be ‘in vogue’.

Talk about low-hanging fruit…

By: Dennis

Dennis — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:35:41 +0000

We know that the internet is stealing our time, goals and creative energy. However, I don’t believe that this article brings the point across in a way that fits today’s reader.

Between job, family and church, we barely have enough time to breathe. When we do have time, we cannot allow the net to steal what little time we do have. My wife wants to write a book, but there is no way she can focus on writing with the time she is spending on the internet.

We need to get a grip on the life we want to lead, not become a computer chip for our jobs, friends and the …NET!!

By: Andy Sentgeorge

Andy Sentgeorge — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:23:04 +0000

soooooo, reading is an indicator of cognitive ability…interesting “big leap” correlations and I probably even buy the logic, although I’ll reserve final judgement until I read the book. Seems like my grandmother nailed this one 40 yrs ago though when she insisted that too much of a good thing is a bad thing.

By: Colombier

Colombier — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:23:02 +0000

I’m not sure if the observation is only anecdotal or the cause is attributable mainly to internet. Several years ago I was debating with a recruiter whether the younger generations these days can accomplish so much in the work place. Her premise is that their comfort with the multitude of technolgies and the speed with which they can obtain information have allow them to achieve far more. What I added though is that while they think broader (and possibly as a result achieve more), they were also distracted from thinking deeper. “Perception is reality” and our fast pace society in general rewards doing things fast (and therefore appear to do more) than thinking deep (and therefore appear to accomplish less). If I can get away with it by scanning an article instead of mincing every word, it can become a habit quickly.

By: Jaz

Jaz — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:15:23 +0000

I was actually surprised by how easily I could read this article. Maybe it’s because I have a great love for lengthy, thick, elaborate books as well as writing. I have always appreciated a long narrative with many well-thought out twists and turns.
This doesn’t mean I don’t concur with most of Carr’s statements however. I see it happening all around me, especially with online contacts. Being somewhat familiar with principles of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, I can very well see how the hyperlinked internet is able to rewire our brains and cause lapses of concentration. It happens to me too.
As for ‘culture’: the internet is often said to have generated a culture of its own. It is a culture that is spreading rapidly, more rapidly than many people would like it to. In that regard, Nicholas Carr’s statement about the aim of his book being ‘creating awareness’, I think is the best remedy for those who feel they have drifted to the shell of their intellectual being, and don’t feel happy just there. Being aware of these changes can enable those who want more out of themselves, and more out of the world around them, to take the actions that fit them best.

By: Salim Hemdani

Salim Hemdani — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:31:20 +0000

As Lucy said in her comment above, after reading first few lines, I also forced myself to read this interview with full concentration. I mean zero distractions. And I agree, it was hard. This read seemed really LONG!

Mr. Nicolas makes a great argument. I fully attest to the behavior he is describing. I don’t think I can change my habits to be away from the internet and digital media. I wonder if meditation can help balance the new world demands. Has anyone studied that?

–Salim Hemdani

By: TrustandVerify

TrustandVerify — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:42:25 +0000

It is not just the Web that is affecting us. It is computer games as well. All this technology is like television on steroids for our society, especially children, teens and young adults. It makes me sick to see it.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:41:44 +0000

This is profound. I have noticed a change in my own ability to concentrate and relate to what the author describes. However, I found the article compelling and only drifted away once. This is important. We need to better understand for good and for bad, our affinity to the web, technology, etc. and the cultural changes that will ensue.