Who better to argue against the internet than Carr? The internet destroys the traditional book. The book is disapearing due to the fact people read short summaries or articles on the internet. The internet is shutting down books stores everyday.
So I start to think. Who better to fight and turn people against the internet than an author like Carr. Carr writes books and a growing population turning against the internet would probably increase his sales in books. Like every conterversial topic there are two sides. I feel the authors of the world of course are resentful of the rise of the interent and how it has destroyed the humans will to read long passages.
I am not saying Carr’s book is biased, because he includes facts within his argument. But for everything he says it does not apply to all. The idea of telling someone that the internet is bad because you can learn just as much information in a short time rather than reading a book for 4 days is just selfish. No matter what positives the internet might bring I doubt we will see them raised in this book anywhere.
CARR- ” DOWN WITH THE INTERNET”
Not only is the Internet hurting authors and book companies, it’s hurting newspapers and journalists even more. Here’s a blog that I found that names all the newspaper companies that have been shut down since the creation of the Internet.
http://newspaperdeathwatch.com/
Jeremy, very fascinating post. I also agree that no matter how much the Internet improves our lives, there will always be people who claim it is destroying society. It’s too bad The Shallows doesn’t delve into all the benefits of the Internet. Technology changes lives, and I don’t think Carr talks enough about this aspect in his book. For example, the Internet has been a huge benefit to the medical industry. Ten or twenty years ago, when you walked into a hospital, it would take an extremely long time to fetch vital medical records about patients because they were often physically written down instead of digitally recorded. Nowadays, medical records are often put online and doctors can access them from any hospital in the world in a matter of seconds. When you are injured or having a heart attack, seconds count. I think it’s safe to say that technology and the Internet have done nothing but help fields like medicine, etc. And Aaron, that blog is kind of alarming, but I honestly don’t see what the big deal is about newspapers closing down. Why are some people/companies so reluctant to change? Instead of talking about how the Internet is ruining their business model, newspaper companies should embrace it and adapt just like everyone else.