What the Net does is shift the emphasis of our intelligence, away from what might be called a meditative or contemplative intelligence and more toward what might be called a utilitarian intelligence. The price of zipping among lots of bits of information is a loss of depth in our thinking.
Interpretation
The quote highlights how the internet alters our way of thinking, prioritizing practical intelligence over deep contemplation.
Nicholas G. Carr's quote reflects on the impact of the internet on human intelligence, suggesting that while we gain access to vast amounts of information, we may sacrifice the ability for deep, meditative thinking. This shift towards a more utilitarian form of intelligence means that our cognitive engagement may become superficial, leading to a decline in the depth of our thoughts and insights.
In practice
In a discussion on the effects of technology on learning, this quote serves to illustrate the potential drawbacks of digital information consumption.
We don’t constrain our mental powers when we store new long-term memories. We strengthen them. With each expansion of our memory comes an enlargement of our intelligence. The Web provides a convenient and compelling supplement to personal memory - but when we start using the Web as a substitute for personal memory, by bypassing the inner processes of consolidation, we risk emptying our minds of their riches.
In the face of technology, everything becomes a little atavistic.
Amateurs hack systems, professionals hack people.
To our human minds, computers behave less like rocks and trees than they do like humans, so we unconsciously treat them like people.... In other words, humans have special instincts that tell them how to behave around other sentient beings, and as soon as any object exhibits sufficient cognitive function, those instincts kick in and we react as though we were interacting with another sentient human being.
All countries will eventually need to rebuild their growth models around digital technologies and the human capital that supports their deployment and expansion.
It is unworthy of excellent men to lose hours like slaves in the labor of calculation which could be relegated to anyone else if machines were used.
The decentralized nature of online conversations often makes it easier to manipulate public opinion, both domestically and globally. Regimes that once relied on centralized systems of media control can now deliver ideological messages more subtly, with the help of little-known intermediaries like anonymous commenters on websites.
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