Thursday, October 06, 2011

Is the Internet Making Us Non-Readers and Giving Us Slower Attention Spans?

In the novel we are currently reading, the Shalllows, Carr brings up the issue that since the internet has become a huge part of our culture, many people have lost focus and stopped reading books. He mentions that he can't even concentrate to read an article online that is only a couple paragraphs and he skims it usually. I find that I do this also. I usually skim when reading things as well. If I do try and read the whole thing I find my mind wanders and my thoughts are on different things. So in other words, is the internet making our attention spands shorter? I feel that this could be true. Maybe not only the internet is to blame but other technologies as well. However, the internet is mostly at fault. Instead of going to a library and reading books to do research, many people go on the internet. It is convenient, it ususally gives u summarys of certain things so you wouldn't have to read a whole book, and you can stay in the comfort of your own home. All very tempting qualities for anyone. It is very rare for people to read whole books anymore, especially just for fun and on their own time. A whole new era of how people read has developed but is it for the better?

1 comment:

Quinton Lee Cappel said...

I agree that people read less now and is probably because of the technology out and mostly the internet. I also skim through articles and look online for quick summaties of things. I do not think this is a bad thing though it is just as effective to get information summarized and quickly than to waste time reading an entire book. I cant imagine how much time would be wasted if I had to attend school without the internet.