Hello fellow bloggers! I have recently started reading Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, which is the book assigned to students with a last name that starts with letters A-M. I'm only about two chapters into the book, and I've noticed how hard it is to keep reading. I keep getting distracted and checking my phone or eating random snacks. At first, I was blaming it on the fact that this is a nonfiction novel, and is therefore much harder to read for me personally because I am so accustomed to reading fiction novels. However, as ironic as this might seem, I think my real problem is actually the author's main point so far. Carr tells of how spending too much time on the internet changes your thought process and your ability to analyze information. One of the main consequences he talks about is losing the ability to concentrate on one task for long periods of time. The more I read, the more I realize that my inability to concentrate on Carr's book is his main point; I've become so accustomed to skimming over articles on the internet that I've begun to have trouble focusing on something as simple as reading. So far, I've had to read the first chapter twice, and while I haven't had to reread the entire second chapter, I've definitely had to read over some pages.
When I first started reading, I wasn't too excited to hear some guy rant about how our generation is obsessed with technology and social media. While Carr does expand on how dependent we've become on technology, he also mentions the benefits of technology and makes sure that isn't the focus of the novel. He mainly tries to shed light on the effects of technology we wouldn't have noticed ourselves, like losing the ability to actually understand and question everything we're reading and not just follow the words under the pretense of reading. Honestly, after running into the problems I have had while reading, I definitely agree with him on this point.
Have any of you run into a similar problem with any of the other novels? Or is it just my environment? Or maybe my mindset? I hope this isn't too long of a post (I've never done this before), and I hope some of you take the time to read it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Your fellow nerd,
-Lina Elasmar
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Carr when he talks about losing the ability to concentrate on one task for long periods of time. When I am reading, I get distracted by little things like texting, food, music, sleeping, and more. This is because it is more enjoyable than analyzing and absorbing information. This is the main reason why I found it difficult to read Brave New World. Technology does have some positive effects, but too much it can reduce a person's attention span
DeleteIn a weird way, it's nice to know I'm not the only one having a bit of trouble comprehending the reading. It's really hard sometimes, especially when the author continuously lists facts, so I started to split up my readings into half-chapter segments. It takes way longer, but that way, I'm not pressured to rush through it and I can make sure I understand what I'm reading. Then, once I finish the section I'm supposed to read for the day, I can move on to others if I'm not too mentally drained. Thank you for responding!
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ReplyDeleteI'm kind of in that same situation too. I'm starting to read Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman and it's pretty difficult especially with the sophisticated language. I tend to get distracted easily too. The book actually forces me to slow down and pay attention to what the author is trying to say. Good luck reading :)
Yeah! I'm definitely not used to having to go back and read things over and over again unless I'm reading from a textbook, probably because those are the only other type of nonfiction books I read. You really have to focus or you can miss some of the author's main points, especially because there are so many facts on every page. You almost have to pick and choose which facts are even more important than the others. Thanks for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate it!
DeleteI've also been suffering from the distraction disorder. As of right now, I've been reading Amusing Ourselves to Death and its been very hard concentrating and paying attention. The littles of thing catch my attention and then I start to feel like a gold fish, having the attention span of 3 seconds. I've had sticky notes and a dictionary become my newest best friends, but even with those, I find the simple task of reading so complex and frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree it's hard to concentrate on these books. Especially with Amusing Ourselves to Death. I felt that that one was the hardest book to read due to the fact that I did not agree with the author's stand point.
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