1 00:00:00,042 --> 00:00:03,067 So you are reading an article online when you get an instant message 2 00:00:03,067 --> 00:00:05,471 with a link to a funny photo, which of course you have to share. 3 00:00:05,471 --> 00:00:07,299 And now you are reading your Facebook News Wall, 4 00:00:07,299 --> 00:00:09,566 which sends you to a video of a panda bear attacking a kid. 5 00:00:09,566 --> 00:00:11,697 And now you are reading Wikipedia to learn everything you can 6 00:00:11,697 --> 00:00:13,507 about the violent behavior of panda bears. 7 00:00:13,507 --> 00:00:17,474 And this is what 3 minutes on the internet can be like. 8 00:00:17,474 --> 00:00:21,560 We live like this all the time, and it has to have some kind of effect on us. 9 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,055 The net is making us more superficial as thinkers. 10 00:00:25,055 --> 00:00:26,570 That is Nicholas Carr. 11 00:00:26,570 --> 00:00:30,293 He is the author of, "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains." 12 00:00:30,293 --> 00:00:33,452 To understand this whole thing better, we need to go way back in time, 13 00:00:33,452 --> 00:00:35,596 to say, like, the prehistoric age. 14 00:00:35,596 --> 00:00:38,739 You wanted to know everything going on around you 15 00:00:38,739 --> 00:00:40,834 because the more you knew about your surroundings, 16 00:00:40,834 --> 00:00:44,083 the less likely you were to get attacked by a predator. 17 00:00:44,083 --> 00:00:48,058 And there's even evidence that our brains release some dopamine 18 00:00:48,058 --> 00:00:51,570 - a pleasure inducing neurotransmitter chemical 19 00:00:51,570 --> 00:00:55,807 - to reward us for seeking out and finding new information. 20 00:00:55,807 --> 00:00:59,065 So, getting distracted felt good and helped us stay alive. 21 00:00:59,065 --> 00:01:02,478 But the problem is that nowadays, predators aren't much of an issue, 22 00:01:02,478 --> 00:01:04,392 but we still have the same brains. 23 00:01:04,392 --> 00:01:07,329 And also, there's the internet, which is... 24 00:01:07,329 --> 00:01:13,356 It's an incredibly information-rich environment that the net creates for us. 25 00:01:13,356 --> 00:01:14,853 And that's why we use it so much. 26 00:01:14,853 --> 00:01:18,406 I mean, sounds, pictures, words, texts. 27 00:01:18,406 --> 00:01:22,769 And what this tends to do is promote a sort of compulsive behavior 28 00:01:22,769 --> 00:01:25,065 in which we are constantly checking your smart phone, 29 00:01:25,065 --> 00:01:27,444 constantly glancing at our email inbox. 30 00:01:27,444 --> 00:01:32,173 We're kind of living in this perpetual state of distraction and interruption. 31 00:01:32,173 --> 00:01:33,870 Which is dangerous because... 32 00:01:33,870 --> 00:01:38,504 That mode of thinking crowds out the more contemplative calmer modes of thinking. 33 00:01:38,504 --> 00:01:41,981 And that focused, calm thinking is actually how we learn. 34 00:01:41,981 --> 00:01:44,782 It's a process called memory consolidation. 35 00:01:44,782 --> 00:01:50,305 And that means the transfer of information from our short term working memory, 36 00:01:50,305 --> 00:01:52,477 to our long term memory. 37 00:01:52,477 --> 00:01:57,150 And it's through moving information from your working memory 38 00:01:57,150 --> 00:02:01,272 to your long term memory that you create connections 39 00:02:01,272 --> 00:02:04,527 between that information and everything else you know. 40 00:02:04,527 --> 00:02:07,639 So you've got this awesome, life-changing piece of information 41 00:02:07,639 --> 00:02:09,088 in your short term memory, 42 00:02:09,088 --> 00:02:12,753 but then you hear that email ding, and, there it goes. 43 00:02:12,753 --> 00:02:16,310 That email takes its place, and you never get a chance to learn anything, 44 00:02:16,310 --> 00:02:18,126 all because of one distraction. 45 00:02:18,126 --> 00:02:20,017 So attention is the key. 46 00:02:20,017 --> 00:02:25,510 And if we lose control of our attention, or are constantly dividing our attention, 47 00:02:25,510 --> 00:02:29,538 then we don't really enjoy that consolidation process. 48 00:02:29,538 --> 00:02:32,436 But I can hear it now, someone is out there saying, 49 00:02:32,436 --> 00:02:34,346 "Uh, what does learning matter 50 00:02:34,346 --> 00:02:37,401 if all of the information in the world is just a Google search away?" 51 00:02:37,401 --> 00:02:39,469 Well... 52 00:02:39,469 --> 00:02:43,854 That is is kind of short-changing our intellects. 53 00:02:43,854 --> 00:02:45,966 If that's the way you're using your mind, 54 00:02:45,966 --> 00:02:49,119 just kind of searching very quickly and finding information 55 00:02:49,119 --> 00:02:50,864 and then forgetting it very quickly, 56 00:02:50,864 --> 00:02:52,779 you're never building knowledge. 57 00:02:52,779 --> 00:02:55,516 You're simply, you're, you're kind of thinking like a computer. 58 00:02:55,516 --> 00:02:58,742 Which means that our very humanity is at stake. 59 00:02:58,742 --> 00:03:00,989 And it would be a shame if we all got assimilated, 60 00:03:00,989 --> 00:03:03,491 because, well, humanity is pretty neat. 61 00:03:03,491 --> 00:03:08,427 I really believe that if you look at the great monuments of culture, 62 00:03:08,427 --> 00:03:14,065 they come from people who are able to pay attention, who control their mind. 63 00:03:14,065 --> 00:03:18,417 That's what allows us to think in the highest terms 64 00:03:18,417 --> 00:03:24,181 and think conceptually, think critically, think in some very creative ways. 65 00:03:24,181 --> 00:03:26,608 And it's this kind of thinking that's at risk: 66 00:03:26,608 --> 00:03:29,720 being eroded, one cute cat video at a time. 67 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:30,450 Don't get us wrong: 68 00:03:30,450 --> 00:03:33,752 The internet is good for lots of things, and it should be celebrated. 69 00:03:33,752 --> 00:03:37,329 But the best thing we can do for our minds is to find some time every day 70 00:03:37,329 --> 00:03:41,721 to unplug, calm down, and focus on one thing at a time. 71 00:03:41,721 --> 00:03:45,939 Your email and those cats will be here when you get back.