So you are reading an article online when
you get an instant message with a link to

a funny photo, which of course you have to
share. And now you are reading your Facebook

News Wall, which sends you to a video of a
panda bear attacking a kid. And now you are

reading wikipedia to learn everything you
can about the violent behavior of panda bears.

And this is what 3 minutes on the internet
can be like.

We live like this all the time, and it has
to have some kind of effect on us.

The 'net is making us more superficial as
thinkers.

That is Nicholas Carr. He is the author of,
"The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing

to our Brains."

To understand this whole thing better we need
to go way back in time, to say, like, the

prehistoric age.

You wanted to know everything was going on
around you because the more you knew about

your surroundings the less likely you were
to get attacked by a predator. And there's

even evidence that our brains release some
dopamine - a pleasure inducing neurotransmitter

chemical - to reward us for seeking out and
finding new information.

So, getting distracted felt good and helped
us stay alive. But the problem is that nowadays,

predators aren't much of an issue, but we
still have the same brains. And also, there's

the internet, which is...

It's an incredibly information rich environment,
uh, that the 'net creates for us. And that's

why we use it so much. I mean, sounds, pictures,
words, texts. And what this tends to do is

promote a sort of compulsive behavior in which
we are constantly checking your smart phone,

constantly glancing at our email inbox. We're
kind of living in this perpetual state of

distraction and interruption.

Which is dangerous because...

That mode of thinking crowds out the more
contemplative calmer modes of thinking.

And that focused, calm thinking is actually
how we learn. It's a process called memory

consolidation.

And that means the transfer of information
from our short term working memory, to our

long term memory. And it's through moving
information from your working memory to your

long term memory that you create connections
between that information and everything else

you know.

So you've got this awesome, life changing
piece of information in your short term memory,

but then you hear that email ding, and poof,
there it goes. That email takes its place,

and you never get a chance to learn anything,
all because of one distraction.

So attention is the key. And if we lose control
of our attention, or are constantly dividing

our attention, uh, then we don't really enjoy
that consolidation process.

But I can hear it now, someone is out there
saying, "Uh, what does learning matter if

all of the information in the world is just
a Google search away?" Well...

Um, that is is kind of short-changing our,
our intellects. If that's the way you're using

your mind, just kind of searching very quickly
and finding information and then forgetting

it very quickly, you're never building knowledge.
You're simply, you're, you're kind of thinking

like a computer.

Which means that our very humanity is at stake.
And it would be a shame if we all got assimilated,

because, well, humanity is pretty neat.

I really believe that if you look at the great
monuments of culture, they come from people

who are able to pay attention, who control
their mind. That's what allows us to think

in the highest terms and think conceptually,
think critically, uh, think in some very creative

ways.

And it's this kind of thinking that's at risk:
being eroded one cute cat video at a time.

Don't get us wrong: The internet is good for
lots of things, and it should be celebrated.

But the best thing we can do for our minds
is to find some time every day to unplug,

calm down, and focus on one thing at a time.

Your email -- and those cats -- will be here
when you get back.