Summary Of The Shallows By Nicholas Carr

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A Mind of its Own Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows” is his more elaborate version of his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Both displaying his claim of how profoundly the human brain can be influenced, not only by the Internet, but technology as a whole. “The Web provides a convenient and compelling supplement to personal memory - but when we start using the Web as a substitute for personal memory, by bypassing the inner processes of consolidation, we risk emptying our minds of their riches.” (192) A variety of rhetorical choices and appeals are skills Carr uses to build an informative, mind-opening glance at the Internets affect on the mind. Carr begins his essay with personal identification by describing his experience and affects …show more content…

Carr uses this period in time to positively show how the Internet has impacted people’s lives by providing statistics which also strengthens his ethos. “By 2009, adults in North America were spending an average of twelve hours online a week, double the average in 2005.” (86) Thus Carr may or may not have started writing his book in 2007 due to technology related statistics emerging. Which in the same year, Apple Inc. CEO, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone and Google released Android. As technology advanced society became more and more associated with and furthermore influenced by it. With this occasion, it provides Carr with a very large and wide variety of an audience. Nearly everyone is coming in contact with the Internet and Carr informs the public of the issues at its …show more content…

To show this appeal Carr uses a vast amount of statistics and states his credentials to generate this appeal. By doing so this strengthens his credibility and concern from readers to notice the problem. Because of his concern of the brain changing, he provides a limitless chunk of science incorporating the brain altering including examples such as biology, psychology, and heavily on neurology. “That doesn’t mean that we can’t, with concerted effort, once again redirect our neural signals and rebuild the skills we’ve lost.” (35) Although Carr is concerned of this problem, he is showing that he is optimistic that everyone can overcome technology controlling their brains. As earlier stated, over the years people have become intact with technology thus society adapted to technology in their lives, making their lives easier. “Our use of the Net will only grow, and its impact on us will only strengthen, as it becomes even more present in our lives.” (92) The