The Shallows
What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
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The Shallows
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Narrated by:
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Richard Powers
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Written by:
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Nicholas Carr
About this listen
The best-selling author of The Big Switch returns with an explosive look at technology’s effect on the mind.
“Is Google making us stupid?” When Nicholas Carr posed that question in an Atlantic Monthly cover story, he tapped into a well of anxiety about how the internet is changing us. He also crystallized one of the most important debates of our time: As we enjoy the internet’s bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply?
Now, Carr expands his argument into the most compelling exploration yet published of the internet’s intellectual and cultural consequences. Weaving insights from philosophy, neuroscience, and history into a rich narrative, The Shallows explains how the internet is rerouting our neural pathways, replacing the subtle mind of the book reader with the distracted mind of the screen watcher. A gripping story of human transformation played out against a backdrop of technological upheaval, The Shallows will forever alter the way we think about media and our minds.
©2010 Nicholas Carr (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.You may also enjoy...
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 349
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 348
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
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- By SL on 2024-03-20
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Stolen Focus
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- Written by: Johann Hari
- Narrated by: Johann Hari
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 386
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 332
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 329
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Written by: Johann Hari
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Disunited Nations
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- Written by: Peter Zeihan
- Narrated by: Peter Zeihan, Roy Worley
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 151
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 129
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 127
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great analysis from Zeihan
- By Andrey S. on 2024-03-19
Written by: Peter Zeihan
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Notes of a Native Son
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Written during the 1940s and early 1950s, when Baldwin was only in his twenties, the essays collected in Notes of a Native Son capture a view of Black life and Black thought at the dawn of the civil rights movement and as the movement slowly gained strength through the words of one of the most captivating essayists and foremost intellectuals of that era.
Written by: James Baldwin
What the critics say
“Cogent, urgent, and well worth reading.” (Kirkus Reviews)
What listeners say about The Shallows
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ezd
- 2019-01-07
Everyone Needs to Hear This
although ten years finished, this book is very much needed, for all to re-evaluate their own lives, their connection to the digital and what we have lost for the sake of expedience, efficiency and profit!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 2020-09-14
Didn't need to be a book
I just wanted to know what the Internet is doing to our brains. Invariably, however, you are subjected to the entire history of language and the printing press, as if you haven't read any pop science non-fiction before.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jerome Olivier
- 2020-03-07
A fascinating book
A very well balanced and presented argument that deals not only with how the internet is reshaping our minds, but how, throughout history, different technologies have had a profound impact on our ability to think of, memorize and empathize with the world around us.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-02-29
Stellar!
More than a thorough investigation of what all things electronic are doing to our brains and to our social structure, this book is a thought-provoking study of the evolution of human intelligence. The performance is magnificent. Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 2022-02-11
Amazing boom written over a decade ago.
I have found this book eye opening an absolutely astounding. It is life changing. Every high school student should read this book to learn about brain function, how today's mass online media curates unintelligent zombie mobs of distracted persons, and how to attain good habits to achieve deep mindful thinking and processing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Neufeld
- 2022-02-26
In-depth, Unsaid Reality
The Shallows is a brilliant, well-researched book that explains what is happening to the brain. Most of what is said is highly debated by media consumers, but not its producers.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Pierre Gauthier
- 2023-12-24
Dated!
In this book written in 2009, the author defends the thesis that the Internet is literally changing the manner humans think. Specifically, he believes that concentration has become more difficult and that books are not read from cover to cover as they used to be. Some may find ironic that he writes one to spread his ideas!
His historical discussions are wide ranging and interesting, going back to Greek Antiquity and covering many cultures. The crucial glitch lies in the fact that information technology has developed by leaps and bounds since the book was published. Artificial intelligence was only a distant possibility at the time!
Sadly, the work has thus lost much of its pertinence, save as a period piece.
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