IsGoogleMakingUsStupid

NicholasGeorgeCarr第1頁IntroductiontotheauthorBornin1959B.A.fromDartmouthCollege

M.Afrom

HarvardUniversity

(majorinEnglishandAmericanLiteratureandLanguage).Atthe12thAnnualForbesTelecosmConferenceatTheSagamoreResortinLakeGeorge,NewYorkonMay28,.第2頁IntroductiontotheauthorAnAmericanwriterwhohaspublishedbooksandarticlesontechnology,business,andculture.HisbookTheShallows:WhattheInternetIsDoingtoOurBrainswasafinalistforthePulitzerPrizein.ItisabestsellerinGeneralNonfictionand

aNewYorkTimes.第3頁IntroductiontotheauthorAcolumnistforTheGuardianinLondonWrittenforTheAtlantic,TheNewYorkTimes,TheWallStreetJournal,Wired,TheTimesofLondon,TheNewRepublic,TheFinancialTimes,

andotherperiodicals.“IsGoogleMakingUsStupid?”hasbeencollectedinseveralanthologies,includingTheBestAmericanScienceandNatureWriting,TheBestSpiritualWriting,andTheBestTechnologyWriting.

第4頁IntroductiontotheauthorAmemberoftheEncyclopediaBritannica'seditorialboardofadvisors.OnthesteeringboardoftheWorldEconomicForum'scloudcomputingproject,andwritesthepopularblogRoughType.Awriter-in-residenceattheUniversityofCalifornia.ExecutiveeditoroftheHarvardBusinessReview.

第5頁MainWorks

DigitalEnterprise

:HowtoReshapeYourBusinessforaConnectedWorld()DoesITMatter?()TheBigSwitch:RewiringtheWorld,fromEdisontoGoogle(,W.W.Norton)TheShallows:WhattheInternetIsDoingtoOurBrains(,W.W.Norton)Hisbookshavebeentranslatedintointomorethan20languages.

第6頁PulitzerPrizefinalistHisfirstbook第7頁"Thebondbetweenreaderandwriterisatightlysymbioticone.Thewordsofthewriterinspirenewinsightsandperceptions.Theexistenceofthecriticalreaderprovidesthespurforthewriter’swork.Itgivestheauthortheconfidencetoexplorenewformsofexpression,toventureintounchartedandsometimeshazardousterritory.'Allgreatmenhavewrittenproudly,norcaredtoexplain,'saidEmerson.'Theyknewthattheintelligentreaderwouldcomeatlast,andwouldthankthem.'“FromTheShallows第8頁"Theinterplayoftechnologicalandeconomicforcesrarelyproducestheresultsweatfirstexpect.Therearesomewhoremainconvincedthatcomputerizationwillbegintoclosethewealthgap.That’sthepatternoccurredinpasttechnologicalrevolutions.Butwhenwetakeintoaccounttheeconomicforces,thereplacementofworkerswithsoftware,andtheabilityofcompaniestoaggregatevolunteerlaborandharvestitseconomicvalue-we’releftwithaprospectthatisfarfromutopian.IntheYouTubeeconomy,everyoneisfreetoplay,butonlyafewreaptherewards."FromTheBigSwitch:第9頁

"ITisbestunderstoodasthelatestadoptedtechnologiesthathavereshapedindustryoverthepasttwocenturies-fromtherailroadtotheelectricgenerator.Astheywerebeingbuiltintotheinfrastructureofcommerce,allthesetechnologieshelpcompaniestogainrealadvantages.Butastheiravailabilityincreasedandtheircostdecreased,theyallbecamecommodityinputs.Fromastrategicstandpoint,theybecameinvisible;theynolongermattered.Thatisexactlywhatishappeningtoinformationtechnologytoday,andtheimplicationsforcorporateITmanagementareprofound."FromITDoesn'tMatter第10頁IntroductiontoTextThispassageisamagazinearticle,highlycriticaloftheInternet'seffectoncognitive.ItwaspublishedintheJuly/AugusteditionofTheAtlantic.第11頁IntroductiontoTextCarr'smainargumentisthattheInternetmighthavedetrimentaleffectsoncognitionanddiminishthecapacityforconcentrationandcontemplation.Despitethetitle,thearticleisnotspecificallytargetedatGoogle,butmoreatthecognitiveimpactofthewholeInternetandWWW.第12頁Other’sreactiontoCarr'sargument

AttheBritannicaBlog,somediscussionfocusedontheapparentbiasinCarr'sargumenttowardliteraryreading.InCarr'sview,readingontheInternetisgenerallyofashallowerformincomparisonwithreadingfromprintedbooksinwhichhebelievesamoreintenseandsustainedformofreadingisexercised.Elsewhereinthemedia,theInternet'simpactonmemoryretentionwasdiscussed;and,attheonlinescientificmagazineEdge,severalarguedthatitwasultimatelytheresponsibilityofindividualstomonitortheirInternetusagesothatitdoesnotimpacttheircognition.第13頁TheStructureoftheTextPart1(para.1)Part2(para.2topara.3)Part3(Para.4topara.6)Part4(para.7topara.10)第14頁Part1(para.1)Mainidea:

Recentlytheauthorhasdifficultieswithconcentratingwhilereadingbooksandlongarticles.第15頁Questions:1.AccordingtoPara1,whatistheproblemoftheauthorinhisreading?Hisconcentrationoftenstartstodriftaftertwoorthreepageswhilereading,thedeepreadingthatusedtocomenaturallyhasbecomeastruggle.第16頁Q2.InPara1,“Igetfidgety,losethethread,beginlookingforsomethingelsetodo.”Whatistheimpliedmeaning?Itmeansthattheauthorhasdifficultyinconcentratingonwhatheisreading,andheiseasilygotdistracted.第17頁Paraphrase:1.Mymindwouldgetcaughtupinthenarrativeortheturnsoftheargument,andI’dspendhoursstrollingthroughlongstretchesofprose.Inthepast,Iamoftenattractedbythenarrativeanddifferentargumentandreadlengthyprosewithdistraction.第18頁2.IfeelasifI’malwaysdraggingmywaywardbrainbacktothetext.Thedeepreadingthatusedtocomenaturallyhasbecomeastruggle.IfeelasifIamconstantlystrugglingtoconcentrateonthetext.第19頁Part2para2-3Mainidea:WebenefitalotfromtheNet,butwepayahighpriceforit.第20頁Q1.Whydidtheauthorsay“TheWebhasbeenagodsendtomeasawriter”?Becauseresearchthatoncerequireddaysinthestacksorlibrariescannowbedoneinminutes.AfewGooglesearches,hegotthetelltalefactorpithyquote.第21頁Q2.WhydoestheInternetgetsopopularaccordingtotheauthor?BecausewecanhaveimmediateaccesstosuchanincrediblyrichstoreofinformationonlywithafewGooglesearches,andsomequickclicksonhyperlinks.第22頁Q3.Accordingtotheauthor,whatisthepricewepayfortheuniversalmediumtheNet?(inPara3)Mediaarenotjustpassivechannelsofinformation.Theyalsoshapetheprocessofthought.AndwhattheNetseemstobedoingischippingawayourcapacityforconcentrationandcontemplation.第23頁Paraphrase1.I’maslikelyasnottobeforagingintheWeb’sinfo-thickets’ChancesarethatIamsurfingontheinternet.第24頁2.Theperfectrecallofsiliconmemory,”Wired’sCliveThompsonhaswritten,“canbeanenormousboontothinking.”Butthatbooncomesataprice.Theextraordinarycapacityformemorycanbeofenormousassistancetothinking,butthiscanbringonnegativeconsequence.第25頁3.AndwhattheNetseemstobedoingischippingawaymycapacityforconcentrationandcontemplation.MycapacityforconcentrationandthinkingappearstobedwindlingduetotheuseoftheNet.第26頁4.OnceIwasascubadiverintheseaofwords.NowIzipalongthesurfacelikeaguyonaJetSki.OnceIchoosetododeepreading,butnowIopttoskimandscanwhileIamreading.第27頁Part3para4-6

Mainidea:ManypeoplehavetroublewithreadingandscientificresearchalsoshowsthattheusingoftheNetaffectscognition.第28頁Q1.Anecdotesalonedon’tprovemuch.Whatdoestheauthoractuallywanttosay?

WhattheauthoractuallymeansisthatshortstoriesandexperienceofthesepeoplecannotpointtohisargumentthattheInternethaseffectoncognitive.第29頁Q2.WhatistheresultofthepublishedstudyofonlineresearchhabitswhichisconductedbyscholarsfromUniversityCollegeLondon?

ItsuggeststhatwemaywellbeinthemidstofaseachangeinthewaywereadandthinkduetotheuseoftheNet.第30頁Q3.Accordingtothestudy,whatisthereadinghabitofthepeoplewhovisitsitesthataccesstojournalarticles,e-books,andothersourcesofwritteninformation?Theyjustskim,hoppingfromsitetoanotherandrarelyreturningtoanysourcethey’dalreadyvisited.Theyreadnomorethanoneortwopagesofanarticlebeforetheywould“bounce”outtoanothersite.Theysavealongarticle,buttheyeverwentbacktoreadit.第31頁Paraphrase:Histhinking,hesaid,hastakenona“staccato”quality,reflectingthewayhequicklyscansshortpassagesoftextfrommanysourcesonline.Thestaccatoqualityofhisthinkingisindicativeofthewayhereadsshortpassageonthewebquickly.第32頁Part4(para7-10)

Mainidea:TheInternetmighthavedetrimentaleffectsoncognitionthatdiminishthecapacityforconcentrationandcontemplation.

第33頁Q1.WhatisthestyleofreadingpromotedbytheNet?ThestylethatispromotedbytheNetisputting“efficiency”and“immediacy”aboveallelse,whichdoesnotrequiredeepreading.第34頁Q2.WhatisthedisadvantageofthestyleofreadingpromotedbytheNet?Itweakensourcapacityforthedeepreading.Wetendtobecome“meredecodersofinformation”.

Ourabilitytointerprettext,tomaketherichmentalconnectionsthatformwhenwereaddeeplyandwithoutdistraction,remainslargelydisengaged.第35頁Q3.HowdidtheauthoruseGermanscholarFriedrichA.Kittler’sexampletodemonstratehisargument?Nietzsche'sprosestylechangedwhenhestartedusingatypewriter,whichhehadadoptedbecauseofhisdevelopingdifficultywithwritingbyhandduetofailingeyesight.第36頁(October15,1844

–August25,1900),a19th-centuryGermanphilosopher,poet,composerandclassicalphilologist.Hewrotecriticaltextsonreligion,morality,contemporaryculture,philosophyandscience,displayingafondnessformetaphor,ironyandaphorism.第37頁Amodel1878oftheMalling-HansenWritingBall,whichNietzschebeganusingin1882whenhispooreyesightmadeitdifficultforhimtowritebyhand.第38頁Q4.“Wearenotonlywhatweread,”saysMaryanneWolf,“Wearehowweread".(Inpara7)Whattheauthoractuallymeant?

Whathemeantisthatboththecontentofourreadingandthewayofreadingbooksshapeourpersonalitiesandthinkingpatterns.Bookscanhaveatremendousimpactonpeopleduringcertainperiod.第39頁Q5.Whenwereadonline,wetendtobecome“meredecodersofinformation.”Whattheauthoractuallymeant?Thatistosaywhenwereadonline,wefocusonsuperficialmeaningofinformation,withoutdiggingintoit.Wejustskimandscanthroughaarticleonline.Weseldombothertoreadresearchpapersorclassicalnovelsbecausesuchmaterialscallsformeticulouseffortsinreadingbetweenthelinesratherthanmerelydecodinginformation.第40頁Paraphrase:1.ThankstotheubiquityoftextontheInternet,nottomentionthepopularityofte