WEBVTT 00:00:00.042 --> 00:00:03.067 So you are reading an article online when you get an instant message 00:00:03.067 --> 00:00:05.471 with a link to a funny photo, which of course you have to share. 00:00:05.471 --> 00:00:07.299 And now you are reading your Facebook News Wall, 00:00:07.299 --> 00:00:09.566 which sends you to a video of a panda bear attacking a kid. 00:00:09.566 --> 00:00:11.697 And now you are reading Wikipedia to learn everything you can 00:00:11.697 --> 00:00:13.507 about the violent behavior of panda bears. 00:00:13.507 --> 00:00:17.474 And this is what 3 minutes on the internet can be like. 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. 00:00:21.560 --> 00:00:25.055 The net is making us more superficial as thinkers. 00:00:25.055 --> 00:00:26.570 That is Nicholas Carr. 00:00:26.570 --> 00:00:30.293 He is the author of, "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains." 00:00:30.293 --> 00:00:33.452 To understand this whole thing better, we need to go way back in time, 00:00:33.452 --> 00:00:35.596 to say, like, the prehistoric age. 00:00:35.596 --> 00:00:38.739 You wanted to know everything going on around you 00:00:38.739 --> 00:00:40.834 because the more you knew about your surroundings, 00:00:40.834 --> 00:00:44.083 the less likely you were to get attacked by a predator. 00:00:44.083 --> 00:00:48.058 And there's even evidence that our brains release some dopamine 00:00:48.058 --> 00:00:51.570 - a pleasure inducing neurotransmitter chemical 00:00:51.570 --> 00:00:55.807 - to reward us for seeking out and finding new information. 00:00:55.807 --> 00:00:59.065 So, getting distracted felt good and helped us stay alive. 00:00:59.065 --> 00:01:02.478 But the problem is that nowadays, predators aren't much of an issue, 00:01:02.478 --> 00:01:04.392 but we still have the same brains. 00:01:04.392 --> 00:01:07.329 And also, there's the internet, which is... 00:01:07.329 --> 00:01:13.356 It's an incredibly information-rich environment that the net creates for us. 00:01:13.356 --> 00:01:14.853 And that's why we use it so much. 00:01:14.853 --> 00:01:18.406 I mean, sounds, pictures, words, texts. 00:01:18.406 --> 00:01:22.769 And what this tends to do is promote a sort of compulsive behavior 00:01:22.769 --> 00:01:25.065 in which we are constantly checking your smart phone, 00:01:25.065 --> 00:01:27.444 constantly glancing at our email inbox. 00:01:27.444 --> 00:01:32.173 We're kind of living in this perpetual state of distraction and interruption. 00:01:32.173 --> 00:01:33.870 Which is dangerous because... 00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:38.504 That mode of thinking crowds out the more contemplative calmer modes of thinking. 00:01:38.504 --> 00:01:41.981 And that focused, calm thinking is actually how we learn. 00:01:41.981 --> 00:01:44.782 It's a process called memory consolidation. 00:01:44.782 --> 00:01:50.305 And that means the transfer of information from our short term working memory, 00:01:50.305 --> 00:01:52.477 to our long term memory. 00:01:52.477 --> 00:01:57.150 And it's through moving information from your working memory 00:01:57.150 --> 00:02:01.272 to your long term memory that you create connections 00:02:01.272 --> 00:02:04.527 between that information and everything else you know. 00:02:04.527 --> 00:02:07.639 So you've got this awesome, life-changing piece of information NOTE Paragraph 00:02:07.639 --> 00:02:09.088 in your short term memory, 00:02:09.088 --> 00:02:12.753 but then you hear that email ding, and, there it goes. 00:02:12.753 --> 00:02:16.310 That email takes its place, and you never get a chance to learn anything, 00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:18.126 all because of one distraction. 00:02:18.126 --> 00:02:20.017 So attention is the key. 00:02:20.017 --> 00:02:25.510 And if we lose control of our attention, or are constantly dividing our attention, 00:02:25.510 --> 00:02:29.538 then we don't really enjoy that consolidation process. 00:02:29.538 --> 00:02:32.436 But I can hear it now, someone is out there saying, 00:02:32.436 --> 00:02:34.346 "Uh, what does learning matter 00:02:34.346 --> 00:02:37.401 if all of the information in the world is just a Google search away?" 00:02:37.401 --> 00:02:39.469 Well... 00:02:39.469 --> 00:02:43.854 That is is kind of short-changing our intellects. 00:02:43.854 --> 00:02:45.966 If that's the way you're using your mind, 00:02:45.966 --> 00:02:49.119 just kind of searching very quickly and finding information 00:02:49.119 --> 00:02:50.864 and then forgetting it very quickly, 00:02:50.864 --> 00:02:52.779 you're never building knowledge. 00:02:52.779 --> 00:02:55.516 You're simply, you're, you're kind of thinking like a computer. 00:02:55.516 --> 00:02:58.742 Which means that our very humanity is at stake. 00:02:58.742 --> 00:03:00.989 And it would be a shame if we all got assimilated, 00:03:00.989 --> 00:03:03.491 because, well, humanity is pretty neat. 00:03:03.491 --> 00:03:08.427 I really believe that if you look at the great monuments of culture, 00:03:08.427 --> 00:03:14.065 they come from people who are able to pay attention, who control their mind. 00:03:14.065 --> 00:03:18.417 That's what allows us to think in the highest terms 00:03:18.417 --> 00:03:24.181 and think conceptually, think critically, think in some very creative ways. 00:03:24.181 --> 00:03:26.608 And it's this kind of thinking that's at risk: 00:03:26.608 --> 00:03:29.720 being eroded, one cute cat video at a time. 00:03:29.720 --> 00:03:30.450 Don't get us wrong: 00:03:30.450 --> 00:03:33.752 The internet is good for lots of things, and it should be celebrated. 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 00:03:37.329 --> 00:03:41.721 to unplug, calm down, and focus on one thing at a time. 00:03:41.721 --> 00:03:45.939 Your email and those cats will be here when you get back.