(Speaking of reading: part of my “score” at an independent bookstore this week was Money Changes Everything, an essay collection about the love that dare not speak its name — I am of course referring to Filthy Lucre. I strongly recommend this essay collection for libraries, book groups, and personal reading; the essays are spot-on and often painfully perfect.)
Library discussion lists have been mulling over Nick Carr’s lovely article in Atlantic, “Is Google Making us Stoopid?” Some have brought up another article, “Will GPS make us dumb?”
Quite a bit rests on how we define “stupid.” The GPS article states, “But, just like with spell-checker before it, some experts believe that the guiding device gives less than what it takes away. The price we pay for the convenience, they say, could be our sense of direction.”
Well, I have never had a sense of direction. I have always been map-smart and direction-poor. So the GPS means I no longer drive with my knees, map and highlighter propped against the steering wheel. Don’t you feel better knowing that The Lady (as I call my GPS) leaves me both-hands-on-wheels, as my mother taught me? (And what is it with those states that have self-importantly passed laws against Affixing Things On Windows?)
Was I smart, and now I am dumb? Dumb, and now I am smart? (Or just dumb and dumber?)
To loop back to Nick Carr and the Web, I think he makes very good points, and has done so elegantly and with a certain respect for humanity. I don’t always agree with him, and his argument isn’t new; but part of the pleasure of his argument is that he includes himself among the affected, rather than standing on the sidelines pointing at those sublunary beings who are no longer capable of Sustained Reading of Complex Texts.
We’re all in the higgledy-jiggledy short-attention-span world, and as I wrote a wee while back, the only cure is to strap our fannies into chairs and Read as if our lives depended on it, as indeed they do.
Posted on this day, other years:
- Britannica, Sirens, and Sexism - 2007
- ALA and the Cone of Confusion - 2007
- Top Technology Trends: Speak to me, oh FRL Readers - 2006
- Jenny and Andrew: Change is Good - 2006
- Resolutions at ALA: Never Mind - 2006
- Volunteers to Take Pix/Film John Iliff's Memorial Resolution? - 2006
- Yes, "A Terrible Title" - 2006
- Top Tech Translated - 2005
- Comments Welcomed: Top Tech Trends at ALA - 2005
- Treo 600: Schneider's Review - 2004
On the “Sustained Reading of Complex Texts”… For me at least, I don’t know if I’d be better off doing that or not. It’s like the difference between reading John Adams, watching the miniseries, or watching the one hour show about him on History Channel. I tried to read the book, but holy cow it was detailed and boring (complex too). The miniseries was at least somewhat less boring. But really, didn’t I get everything I need to know about him from that one hour (well, 44 minutes) I spent on History Chanel? Probably. I just don’t need to know that much about him, or most topics in life, to get by or even succeed. I need that “sustained reading†knowledge about only something.
I read a little about ALLOTA stuff now. This gives me a base to start with, and when I want to go deeper into something I have that base to start with. If anything it makes the “sustained†part easier. For me it’s that base that matters. It’s made me smarter because I know about more things, there just aren’t many things I need to spend any sustained amount of time reading any complex texts about.
I don’t know if it’s like that for everyone, certainly someone needs to know depth, but in general it’s not bad to know just a little about things, as long as we all have something we specialize in. If I had more time I’d sit and read like my life depended on it, but right now that’s not possible. Maybe I’d be better off?
I agree with Blake; easier hunting at shallow levels on the Web means that I spend less time delving deeply into texts that, upon greater reflection, aren’t as interesting/important/good to/for me.
Also… we define “concentration” really formlessly in many cases. I do a variety of different things on my computer — write, play games, read, watch video, research, email, IM, draw, design, etc. — but how do we group these into “concentrated” efforts? If I’m designing a poster and spend 30 minutes in Photoshop, 20 minutes in InDesign and 10 minutes searching for art at Photos.com… aren’t I concentrating on one project?
And if our “project” is to learn (or at least ingest information or stay informed about our world), then is reading 20 different blog posts and 50 emails and 100 IMs a distraction?
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: it’s the difference between hunting and gathering. Industrial society is the epitome of “gathering” behavior; find one thing, get good at it, keep doing it. Round peg, round hole, repeat. Hunting requires a different and more flexible skill set. Not better or worse, just different.
We all will have multiple careers and multiple jobs. Technology changes our options on a regular basis. The removal of media and communications barriers means exposure to more ideas and more people. It’s at least as important to understand the context of your peg as to put it in the right hole, so that you can be ready when square holes become obsolete. Understanding larger contexts is a hunting behavior.
Long, sustained reading is great. I hope (and believe) it will be a lasting pursuit. But it’s harder to hunt when you’re buried in one, long text. You might miss something important at the periphery…
Heh, I’ve missed most of the discussion on Google making us stupid being on vacation. I came back, took one look at the subject line and ignored all those threads.
GPS when it works can be absolutely wonderful for resolving tensions.
My wife’s shiny new cell phone came with gps ability but we discovered some real drawbacks.
1) We had to go through Wisconsin through a lot of detours due to closed roads. The gps didn’t know about any of those, rather defeating the point.
2) Turns out rural Wisconsin doesn’t have a lot of cell phone access. We got roaming, but not the “data network” needed to update the network. Turns out the program we were using would try to recalibrate after our frequent detours and “freeze”, waiting for information that never came.
We managed to get through since thankfully I’m quick with a map, have a decent sense of direction, and Colleen’s an excellent driver.
But really, if we can get this gps working, I’m more than happy to have it replace that part of my brain and let me snooze. I don’t spend a lot of time bemoaning the fact my body regulates much of it’s activity without conscious thought or the fact I would rather trust the computer to make lots and lots of calculations.
Karen,
That was a great piece on reading a while back. Thanks for your work!
You might also be interested in the Prospect article, noted here:
http://andrewkeen.typepad.com/the_great_seduction/2008/06/technology.html
Best,
Nathan
Ha, I’m with you having no sense of direction. I cant’ find myself out of a paper bag, I get lost continually (but like you, I read maps well). My family and friends all have learned not to expect me to find my way anywhere new without a map.
So on the one hand, I don’t know what I would have done without mapquest/google maps etc. Before driving anywhere new, I always print out direction maps.
But on the other hand, I have resisted getting a GPS device because I in fact don’t want to become dependent on it. Will I lose the coping skills I’ve developed for my ‘disability’ getting used to always having a GPS? Then what will I do when I don’t have it (lose it, become too poor to afford it, the apocalypse, etc)?
And this is besides the point, but I also believe, from my reading in anthropology it’s a myth that ‘hunting’ skills require more flexibility/creativity/different approaches than ‘gathering’ skills. Funny how the activities associated with pre-historic male occupations (and even that may or may not be accurate) get stereotyped as requiring more flexibility and quick thinking, huh?
It’s funny, finding my way around is the only thing I seem to have a gift for. A rather useless and obscure gift, but at least I have something. I have a terrible memory for most things in life, but I can remember my way around like I have a camera in my head most of the time. Wish I could turn that into something useful!
Blake, I’d say having a good sense of direction is a valuable gift (whether you are hunting or gathering).
I too fear getting lost in the middle of nowhere with no idea of how to get back. I think my answer is to always have old-fashioned maps with me (like having a slide rule in my back pocket in case my calculator craps out). I’m trying hard not to print out the detailed maps from Google and just use the atlases I have.
Nathan, I’m not quite as convinced by Andrew Keen, but I admit to being wooed by Carr’s writing. In his own subversive way, Carr undermines his argument with a book that is eminently readable.
(Speaking of which — and the title is ironic, given all this GPS talk — I’m enjoying The Golden Compass.)
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