In
a topic-driven, well-developed paragraph, SUMMARIZE Chapter
“Nine: Search, Memory.” Clearly identify Carr’s thesis and
supporting arguments. Be specific. Use examples from the text in
your response.
“Nine: Search, Memory.” Clearly identify Carr’s thesis and
supporting arguments. Be specific. Use examples from the text in
your response.
NOTE: After posting on the blog, open up the CANVAS assignment (by the same name) and DO copy and paste the URL address into the CANVAS "WEB URL" text box so that I have record of your submission on Canvas. Thanks.
Gabrielle Tallman
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
ENG 1003
29 Tuesday 2015
As a researcher of technology and author of this book, Carr writes the chapter, "Search, Memory" which is mainly about how technology affects memory. Over the years we have become less dependent on our own memory and more dependent on "artificial intelligence." This artificial intelligence can be full of information and even though that sounds like a good thing, it's not. On the other hand, the brain can always gain and store more knowledge. As Nicholas Carr writes himself, "With each expansion of our memory comes an enlargement of our intelligence." Moreover, as much as we can train our brain to constantly review facts, we can also train it to get distracted easily. He concludes with the point that if we don't remember things on our own, how will we know what our culture is?
Peter Cote
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English 1003
29 Sept. 2015
Chapter 9 The Shallows Summary
Nicholas Carr states the common misconception is that the brain is like a computer, but Carr explains that the brain is much more useful because of it’s memorizing skills and ability to analyze and make conclusions. Carr explains that there are two types of memory, long-term and short-term. Short-term memory is remembering something that has happened a few minutes or seconds before and then it vanishes. Long-term memory transforms the short-term memory by repeating the action over and over or thinking about it over and over. The head of the Department of Neurobiology and Ethology at the University of Haifa in Israel, Kobi Rosenblum, states that “While an artificial brain absorbs information and immediately saves it in its memory, the human brain continues to process information long after it is received, and the quality of memories depends on how the information is processed.” (191) Carr show this to explain that the brain goes into much more thought and detail than a computer does. The brain’s memory is much more detailed because of the long processing of the information received unlike the internet. Carr explains that the brain “updates” a memory in order for an old memory to make sense in the current brain while the computer cannot do that. In the end, Carr states that the brain is a lot better than a computer from its memorizing to its analysis.
Breanna Roper
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English 1003
28 September 2015
The Effects of Technology on Memory
In chapter nine of Nicholas Carr's "The Shallows", Carr describes how our brains have many capabilities including perception, short term memory, and long term memory, being an intellectual organ that is living, unlike the computer, in which many people make comparisons. Our brains are much more competent and strong than a device, although we still seem to rely on computers and the internet for our information. This generation has the ability to constantly look up the same piece of information as many times as needed, so the necessity of remembering important facts is slowly disintegrating. All of our physical, mental memory is being converted into the internet, computers, and devices. Carr states that, "The offloading of memory to external data banks doesn't just threaten the depth and distinctiveness of the self. It threatens the depth and distinctiveness of the culture we all share" (196). Carr declares in this statement that as each of us, as individuals, begin to lose our deep-thinking abilities and individuality, we lose our deep thoughts and individuality culturally. We are losing our depth as we progress farther into this technology driven era.
Kaylee Young
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English 1003
28 September 2015
Summary of chapter 9
In chapter nine, “Search, Memory,” Carr talks of how the brain processes short and long term memory. There was a time our brain read passages and facts in depth and used memorization. However, now that the internet holds so much information there is no point in memorizing facts. According to Don Tapscott, “Memorization is a waste of time.” Since the internet threatens personal depth, it will initially threaten the overall culture of the world. Therefore, due to all the advances among the internet and memory, culture is beginning to have to change with the advances.
Logan Radwanski
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English 1003
28 September 2015
In chapter nine Carr addresses the issue of how the Net has affected our memories. But this has been happening since writing was invented! Socrates worried that writing would "enfeebled memory" but forward to the Renaissance period writing down notes and thoughts were viewed as a great thing! Socrates was on to something as the Net has allowed us to remember more but is that a good thing? No as the Net is worsening our memories and how we long we can remember something. Giving in detail how memory process worked and how memories were stored, Carr reveals the hidden side effects the Net has on our memories and it's not for the better.
Aidan Bish
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SWU English 1003
28 September 2015
The Shallow Memory
Carr’s Chapter Nine discusses quite densely the importance and development of memory. He draws a link between memory and the Internet, stating his concern that the Internet is having an enormous effect on the way we maintain memories. Essentially, he argues that “the Net quickly came to be seen as a replacement for, rather than just a supplement to, personal memory”. The ability to search for a fact and instantly come up with thousands of versions of the correct answer is having a detrimental effect, Carr asserts. It is changing the way we see and value memory. Not only does the Internet overload our working memory and make it harder for our minds to fully process a developed concept, as he discussed in a previous chapter, but it is beginning to take the place of our memory entirely. The searchability of information and the distractions that come with it mean that instead of recording it for future reference, we allow ourselves to forget it since next time the information is needed we will be able to search it again. This, however, means that our brains cannot connect it to other concepts in what he says is a vital and largely unconscious process.
Devante Wrenn
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English 1003
29 September 2015
Chapter nine
In chapter nine Carr talks about how the human brain works memory wise. He talks about how long and short it can remember. In a way though, Carr compares our brain to a computer. We process thoughts like a computer would process thoughts from others. We have so much information that we could say and we are just as smart as a computer. In other words we think just like a computer would be used. Our brains go through these vaults that we got to remember for what we have been asked and we pull out what we think. Our brain is much more useful because it is our thoughts and we are more creative than what we think we are.
Hunter Hebert
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English 1003
29 September 2015
The Shallows: Chapter 9 Summary
In Chapter 9 of The Shallows, Carr discusses how, despite common comparison, the brain is highly more advanced in processing information than that of a computer. The human brain possesses the capabilities of both long –term and short-term memory, however, as our internet usage increases, our minds are beginning to lose these memory-forming capabilities. Due to the fact that information is so readily available in today’s world, our brains are no longer as tempted to deeply read and form the memory. Don Tapscott, a technological writer, has stated that now, with the capabilities of the internet, “…memorizing long passages or historical facts” are obsolete. (181) also referring to memorization as “a waste of time.” (181). As argued in previous chapters, Carr expresses and exposes how our progression in technology has caused regression in our minds.
Anna Newton
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English 1003
29 September 2015
Chapter 9: The Shallows Summary
Nicholas Carr, in “Search, Memory” talks about how computers, and the internet are replacing our brain’s memory. Instead of storing information in the brain, he states, “The reliance on personal memory diminished further with the spread of the letterpress and the attendant expansion of publishing and literacy.” (177). As facts were written, they stayed secured on paper or now a laptop, instead of being imbedded in the mind. Not only does the internet take over the brain’s storage unit, but it feeds our mind’s way too much information at a time, that makes it hard for us to comprehend. With all the distractions, through hyperlinks, ads, etc. it is easier to learn and memorize something by a simple writing.
Carter Groomes
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English 1003
29 September 2014
Summary Chapter 9
In Nicolas Carr’s, The Shallows, Chapter 9 brings about a new approach of Internet draining our brain, and how it is supplementing what books should give. Carr uses ancient humanist Desiderius Erasmus he wrote in his book De Copia in 1512 for his students to always take notes, and to carry a notepad around with them. Using this example is not relatable because in 1512 they did not have to deal with the temptations of technology. Therefore were not affected by the Internet or any other source of technology. Then Carr shows us how technology is killing our memory because it is teaching us that we do not need memory in our life, and we can just rely on the Internet for our memory. In summary the Internet is teaching our brain to skim all the information we read so when we try to deep read we do not know the proper way to do it, hence our brain does not remember everything.
Trevor Porter
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English 1003
September 29, 2015
Chapter Nine Summary
In chapter nine of Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, he describes how throughout history, different advances in technology began to overtake the way we use our brains. He shows examples from a long, long time ago with Socrates saying that he feared that written documents would cause our memory to suffer. He believed that if we had our thoughts on paper, what need would we have to commit them to memory? He goes on to explain that our brains are just as smart, if not smarter than modern computers. We just don't use them as such because simply, now we don't have to.