Nicholas Carr | What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains

Announcing at the beginning that his main goal of this talks is for you to go out and smash your smart phone, Nicholas Carr tells the audience exactly how the internet is affecting our memory and why this may not be a positive thing.

Nicholas Carr writes about technology and culture. He is the author of the acclaimed new book The Glass Cage: Automation and Us, which examines the personal and social consequences of our ever growing dependency on computers. His previous book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, was a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist and a New York Times bestseller. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

Nick has written for The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Wired, Nature, and other periodicals. His essays, including “Is Google Making Us Stupid?,” have been collected in several anthologies, including The Best American Science and Nature Writing and The Best Spiritual Writing. He writes the popular blog Rough Type.

[BTATSband]

I find it troubling that on a video discussing the negative ramifications of distraction, there's an in-stream ad EVERY. THREE. MINUTES.

[terencerucker]

Kee-riste! This short lecture was interrupted by FOUR ads! This just proves what Carr is trying to explain. Now, what was I saying??

[keyanmirazimi]

Currently writing an essay over this... Thanks Nicholas Carr!

[dr.julianataylor]

I did 4 days of mindlessness..just connecting to people, no internet, no writing, no reading, my spirit rose up, my heart opened,  and I felt nothing but divine love for all people.

[Ykhraam]

I really want to do a 1 month computer detox but like... everything is so tied to the internet

[bkkb]

Who opened another tab while watching this?

[nathanchoi]

The problem is, what if you become the minority who is original, creative, in-depth, critical, as we do not use smart phone and always seek information anymore. What if you become someone who always have more original, valuable, insightful thoughts, ideas, feelings to share in different circumstances? The majority people, those who use smartphones, addicted to new information, shallow-minded, may just immediately take what you share and got and use it or try it on their own lives without much considerations, understanding, and support. They will see you as consumable as the information-providers on the internet, and you are possibly be left alone with them benefiting their lives from the efforts you spent. This is a problem which no one is able to solve yet.

[katarzynak.]

Extremely useful and inspiring lecture!

[marvinvoorhees]

I don't know if the studies that suggest these conclusions took a close look on previous generations. Is the only thing that in my opinion doesn't add up. I'm not sure we were substantially more efficient in the 1990's, or that people had way more critical thinking in the 1940's, or amazing working memory in the 1930's. I'd like to hear about some generational comparisons from Carr or any other researcher supporting this theory.

[jeanalessandro]

Brazil is one of the most rising countries in the use of these fast media information. Here there´s no one guy talking about this problem. It´s Sad.

[levjanashvili]

Like cannabis-fueled munchies at an all-you-can-eat buffet, our appetite for information meets infinite supply as the content tsunami crashes upon our consciousness. The consequences of this phenomenon are as clear as the routes of escape. You can always unplug. You can cultivate an awareness of your relationship with information. Abstinence is not an option, but conscious consumption is.

[ms.pirate]

The ads are distracting, I'll read his book

[MissNikiRae]

Why is there an ad every 5 minutes? It's completely going against what Carr wants for us to improve ourselves. I get nothing is free but just have the ads at the beginning or end of the video.

[fcpsradiologist]

3 years training in radiology and multitasking really impacted my training

[harpharpharpharp]

How wonderful to finally hear an American say "Internet" and not "Inner-net".

[martinirving]

The ability to think critically and conceptually is being lost, and very quickly. This is the take home message that can't be emphasized enough. Add to that an education system that doesn't teach critical thinking skills because SOL testing is all-consuming and we have a serious problem.
It's literally Mike Judge's Idiocracy scenario 500 years ahead of schedule.

[werhatdanamegesagt]

Such a shame that in this video there are constant advertisements distracting the video

[neilhelp]

5:03 = guy bottom-left corner checking his phone

[halaabdulqader]

Man I love you 💘
Your book is a life changer
Thanks for your efforts

[calvinpatterson]

Great video, but I'm never gonna watch this channel again because of how many ads there are.