Swimming through "The Shallows" (Part Two)

While the first half the Carr’s book is dedicated to the history or neuroplasticity and intellectual technologies, the second half of the book focuses on the specifics of the Internet, and how its systems are affecting and ultimately rewiring our brains.

For the sake of brevity, I have designed this post as an FAQ on the topic.

What do our brains look like on the Internet? What is really happening?

Benefits	Drawbacks
Efficient processing	Distracted / Interrupting
Quick decision making	Craving / Addicted
Evaluating	Forgetful
Collaborating	Impulsive / Impatient
Communicating	Limited Focus

Why is this happening?

Carr describes the Internet as having 4 major characteristics, each of which contribute to the issue:

1. Hypermedia; decision making process (to click or not to click) overloads our short term memory and affects comprehension.
2. Multimedia; information overload - we no longer speak of the Internet in terms of “pages” but rather as a “stream” or, even more worrisome, a “feed”. Our brains are hardwired to consume (and crave) information, and these new multimedia platforms can crank up the information volume to a damaging level.
3. Messaging; constant interruption! Every time you check your email (one study found up to 20-30 times an hour), you’ve interrupted - and possibly derailed - your train of thought, making it increasingly difficult to stay on task and get work done.
4. Multi-tasking; everyone thinks they are good at multitasking, but it’s really just a myth. Many “multitaskers” are actually worse at juggling and completing cognitive tasks.

What are we losing?

Singular, sustained focus / Attention

Deep, critical thinking

Mindfulness / Reflection

Reading comprehension / Meaning making

I’ve never been much of a book reader anyway, and I’ve always been scatterbrained. Why is this such a big deal?

As we begin to lose our complex thinking skills, the results of those skills also begin to diminish. For example, complex thinking skills are essential to developing advanced emotional responses like empathy. Once we give up on skills such as mindfulness, reflection, and other deep thinking, everything around us begins to become superficial. Creativity and “big ideas” begin to dwindle and as complacency sets in, progress comes to a halt.

The other big problem has to do with the way our brains process information. We have two types of memory: long term, and short term. Everything starts in short term memory, and then after time to process and reflect, this information can then be moved to long term memory (knowledge, learning). Without time to process information in an interruption and distraction-free environment, our brains cannot make connections and create meaning. As humans, meaning and purpose are essential to our well-being, and therefore the processes that develop them need to be protected.

So what can I do? How can I protect my brain?

Well, there’s good news and bad news:

The Bad News

There isn’t a whole lot to be done about the effects of the Internet on our brains, especially as the professional and social consequences of avoiding the Internet continue to grow. In his book, Carr does not offer many practical solutions to the issue, but it can be said that awareness is the first step to making a (hopefully positive) change.

The Good News

While Carr doesn’t offer too many solutions other than practicing deep thinking and removing oneself from the digital map, there are a ton of great resources and ideas out there for becoming a more mindful, reflective, and critical Internet user:

1. Consider implementing an Information Diet.
2. Take a break and practice Mindfulness.
3. Practice multiple ways of thinking by Making Your Thinking Visible.

It is important to model these behaviors for our students, who are more entrenched in technology than any generation before. What are ways you can integrate these methods into your classroom? How does affordance analysis fit into the puzzle? What other ways have you found to protect your brain and preserve the benefits of all forms of cognition? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below!