Discussing "The Shallows" Chapter One-HAL and Me

We are continuing our discussion of The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr. Check out what has already been discussed in the Prologue.

*Spoiler Alert—I’m about to give away the ending of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Stop reading now if you don’t know how the movie ends!

“Dave, my mind is going.” Those are the words HAL 9000 (Hueristically programmed ALgorithmic computer—aka the sentient computer of the spacecraft in the movie) speaks as his memory chips are shut down by the surviving member of the crew. Carr likens this to what has been happening to his own brain as the technology he’s owned begins to change the way he thinks.

His main points:
• As technology has evolved, our consumption for the next machine, the next breakthrough, the next gadget has driven us to read things faster, understand less and remap our brains to process the written word in a completely new way.
• This is happening to everyone {except for the group of people who do not use the internet , something I will comment on later.}
• People know they are sacrificing something important, but they are also unwilling to go back to way things used to be.
• Carr quotes Joe O’Shea, a former student body president at Florida State University as saying college students today are “skilled hunters” online—as soon as they find the pertinent phrase, quote, etc., they move on to the next document.
• This has led to professors despairing that anyone is reading whole books anymore.
• Ultimately, the Internet has made our brains “hungry” for information all the time—even when we are away from it, we feel like we have to check email or see a news headline. Essentially, the technology has changed our brains.

Carr makes some interesting points in this chapter. Comparing his brain to HAL right off the bat definitely sets a certain spooky tone. Let’s not forget that when 2001: A Space Odyssey came out, the big “reveal” that the computer was the villain was revolutionary.

I think there are some things that are spot on about Carr’s conclusions: I do find myself always wanting the next gadget, the next whiz-bang thing that is supposed to make my life simpler, more connected, easier to control. And yet…what it’s really done is made me more connected at times when I really don’t want to be connected to anyone but my family.

The one area that I really wish Carr fleshed out more in this chapter were the people who do not have access to the Internet on a daily basis. He has one line about this and then moves on. But I would like to know if these people are also thinking differently…because the people around them are doing so. It also makes me wonder if there is once again a division of populations happening and how that will impact education, work , and general interactions.

Next week-Chapter Two-The Vital Paths. If you know something about brain chemistry, philosophy and psychology, this is the chapter for you!