Surfing through life – The Isolation of Technology, P. 3

The discussion this week on technology has launched a whole string of thoughts, angles and impacts on how it is impacting our culture, our spiritual lives and our children.

Photo via Flikr by Delta Whiskey

Michelle DeRusha over at Graceful thinks that technology “is changing the way my brain processes information. Perhaps permanently.” She admits that she’s on the computer 15 or more hours each week, commenting, reading and surfing content. 

Michelle is reading read The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr. He writes, “the more time we spend online, the less time we spend simply thinking, simply being. We fill our minutes and hours and days with mental detritus, leaving no room or time for the creativity, fulfillment and rejuvenation that comes with open space.”

The idea of sitting on the front porch, just observing the world around us is lost without a radio, a smartphone, or an iPod to accompany us. And Michelle is afraid that all of this is having an affect on her memory, as she’ s unable to retain information beyond a few hours — or minutes.

Kara Chupp reviewed the book, and concluded that her life is far too much about “Skimming.” She says that she doesn’t “want to write, or read, or relate, or live in a place of superficiality.”  
Laura Lee Groves sees the impact on her four children. The Internet “isn’t really suited for deep reading and concentration — two elements often associated with acquiring wisdom.” She too read The Shallows and quoted this. “As our ability to multitask improves, we may “become less creative in our thinking.”

Do we have a place for creativity? For careful thought and reasoning? For deep sea diving?
Care to comment?

NPR interview, review and discussion of The Shallows.