I will admit that this is probably the most interesting class lecture so far.

I think the book we were required to finish, What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains: The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, is both interesting and frustrating at the same time. It is well-researched, and the callbacks that Carr makes to old inventions that we take for granted such as the printing press is very well done. It points out how something that we take for granted nowadays was world-changing when it was introduced. It’s the same with the internet, and how it developed. Carr actually tied the development of the internet to how he believes the internet has eroded our brains and concentration. He notes how we typically have multiple tabs open whenever we’re on the internet, and how we need to have our attention grabbed by something at all times.

While I agree him in the sense that I believe that the internet has been a negative influence on our concentration and such, I think he would have done better if he made the book less repetitive. I also think that he is pessimistic on how the internet is detrimental to society. We discussed in class how Carr thinks the internet has made it more difficult for us to separate our private and public personas. While he might have an argument, I would say that as a society we have simply come to understand that it is more comfortable for people to be who they are with each other, and that it is important for us to be more familiar with each other to spread our own individuality.

We would also tie this into the slides that we were required to read before class. Specifically, how new technology has changed the world even when we take it for granted in the present. With technology such as photography and video, we can preserve something for years after they are gone, giving us control over space and time. Along with this, we also went into the idea of “The Medium is the Message”, and how what we use for writing or messages can be influenced by the method and technology we use to communicate.

We also discussed the aspect of oral and literate focused societies, using the Socratic method. Socrates was an orator, and never wrote anything. He would ask people questions to make them defend and strengthen their viewpoints, or even make them question their own teachings if they found a flaw in them. The class talked about the advantages and disadvantages of oral and literate societies, mainly how oral societies discuss issues and are forced to memorize many aspects of life that literate cultures remember by using books. I am more partial to literate cultures myself, though I can see how oral societies with their methods are useful, it’s quite difficult for me to remember many things and find textbooks and the like to be very helpful.

We finished the class with the evolution of film, as Professor O’Malley showed us how the perspective of film has changed with the primitive aspects of an old film about men saving a women and child from a house on fire. He contrasted this by pointing out the omniscient point of view the audience enjoys with Saving Private Ryan, noting all of the perspectives that would be odd if we didn’t take them for granted.

This was definitely one of the most interesting classes that I’ve had this semester. I look forward to the next one.