The Shallows

I used to read a lot more books, and made a conscious decision to read more books this year. I've found I'm not as good at reading them -- I'm easily distracted, and haven't as much capacity to stay focused on one text. When my 19yo announced she was ditching her smartphone for her mental health, I decided I should read this book. I'm glad I did.

Chilling. Carr shows how the medium changes the mind. We do not think as much, our brain loses capabilities, we are more gullible and less empathetic. We see this all around us, but we're probably blinded by thinking, "Not me!" Carr makes it clear that all of us are affected.

I've spent a career developing software. It's not all bad, and Carr doesn't make that accusation. I've made some tasks significantly simpler and more efficient, like shipping goods via rail or getting a referral to a specialist. This book isn't a screed against technology. It's an honest and brave treatise about how the development of new technologies inevitably change not only the way we think, but the development and state of our brains. Sometimes for good, sometimes for bad . . . but as he says, "the technology we assumed would enlarge us has made us smaller." Gut check for us all.