What advantages does the increased use of the Internet have
on humanity that Carr does not address in his argument?
What other components in our modernized lives affect our
capability to enjoy reading for long periods of time?
Do Carr’s examples (such as Nietzsche and the typewriter)
really show some type of correlation between the use of the Internet and our
short reading span?
In this article, Nicholas Carr discusses how the increased
use of the Internet has negatively affected our lives and way of thinking. Indeed, with the Internet so readily
available to the general public through places that have free wi-fi, it’s hard
not to log onto the Internet and surf around a bit. Also, another added “evil” of the Internet is the ability to jump
from link to link—something we can’t do so quickly with books. The speedy Internet can possibly be a reason
for our short reading spans, but it is not the reason.
I believe there are other components in our lives that
affect our capability to read for prolonged periods of time like we used to
(question 2). Besides the Internet, the
presence of the television may also affect our reading span. Nowadays, since there are so many TV shows
on at certain times, once one gets home from school or work, there is only a
short amount of time between getting home and one’s favorite TV shows. This short amount of time is usually spent
undressing, taking a shower, eating, doing chores/homework, and then some down
time before picking up the remote and warped into the world of graphics and
pixels. There is very little time to
actually pick up a book or read a long article and soak up the words. When one watches TV, it’s very difficult to
be able to read a book for a long time and watch TV at the same time. Also, since there are so many TV channels
and shows, when one show finishes, people simply pick up the remote and change
the channel. The world of TV takes away
from the precious reading time one used to have before the TV became a big hit.
Another component in our lives that takes away our
capability and time to read for long is the invention of smart phones. Not only do these phones have access to the
Internet, they have the ability to occupy someone for hours. This touch-screen texting makes it much
easier for people to communicate quickly back and forth, similar to a
face-to-face conversation, which leaves no space for a book to make it into
people’s hands. Though one could argue
that texting has been around in flip phones, which I can’t argue against, I
bring up another point that smart phones have the capability to download a lot
of games to entertain anybody for prolonged periods of time.
All of these time-consuming activities keep people from
having time to pick up and enjoy a book.
People don’t feel the need to read to entertain and update themselves;
they have the Internet, television news and shows, and electronics to fulfill
the same desires.
I also agree that there are other things that preoccupy people from reading besides the internet. Television might be a distraction for some like my younger teen sisters who can’t get enough of the mindless crap shows that networks such as the Disney Channel regularly air. However, it hasn’t been keeping me from reading. There are only a few TV shows that I can actually watch because they actually have substance unlike a majority of the primetime shows. I spend much more time watching movies whether they are old or new because I have learned so many more useful things from them as opposed to TV shows. Come to think of it, I would much rather watch a movie than read a book because it is much faster. Maybe one of the reasons why some people find it so hard to read books is because they are used to having the stories narrated to them at a much faster pace through movies. I do agree with you that smartphones are great for playing mobile games, however I disagree when you mention how it limits the amount of time available for reading. I actually get more reading done with the help of mobile devices than I would without them. It may not always be a book, but I can’t tell you enough how nice it is to be able to catch up with the latest news or learn new things while going to the bathroom, waiting for something or even while you are traveling in the car (as a passenger of course, please don’t use your phone while driving!). Even with all of the distractions, it really comes down to each individual and what their learning style is. Some might benefit from reading written directions more than say a YouTube video, or vice versa.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are many other things in people's lives that have stopped people from reading for long periods of time. However, I do not believe all of these so called "distractions" are the reason why people have stopped reading for long periods of times. If someone really enjoyed to read on their free time, then they would make time for it. Just like people make time for their favorite television shows at night time. I do believe that technology has taken over many people's lives in society today. Like you said, smart phones have become a huge part of people's daily lives. It has come to the point where people cannot function without looking at their smartphone every few minutes. Technology has become some sort of addiction and people are fixated to their smart phones, ipads, and laptops. I agree with Carr that the internet has become a huge distraction because it performs any sort of function, but I do not believe it is the main reason why people have stopped reading for long periods of time. If someone loves to read, they will make time to sit down and read their favorite book.
ReplyDeleteSarah
Your point that smart phones are another source of distraction from reading at length really hit home for me. I frequently find myself flipping through the pages on my phone, trying to remember what I was going to do, or if I was even doing something at all. It's so natural lose track of time and absentmindedly click around on a phone. You have all the capabilities of the internet with the added "bonuses" of texting, calls, or games to keep you occupied.
ReplyDeleteOverall I agree with you that there are plenty of contributing factors to aid in our inability to focus and that the internet is not solely to blame.