Spellcheck

A thing like me.

            Throughout reading The Shallows I sometimes become drawn in with his thoughts, arguments and research but other times I can’t even seem to finish reading a page. This chapter I found some interest in parts and some parts when he gets really involved with extensive explanations and terms, I’m just turned off completely. It’s a strange way to write, some topics he’s clear and concise with others he drags on.            

            Regardless in the “a digression” section I found it to be interesting to relate himself to his findings and also his findings on how he went about writing the book.  Partly because my research paper is similar to this particular point about our attention. Today it’s uncommon to take the stance he took by logging out entirely of his Internet life.  Its uncommon yet probably the most helpful thing when you have a task to complete.

            A thing like me I also found some interest in, first with Weizenbaum and his ELIZA program and further into the programs progress and as it got published and when the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease suggested with “tweaking” this program could be used replacing therapists. Strange to me.

            I guess my first question to this would be if the patient would be aware of that ELIZA is a computer program opposed to being a person or if they were in a confession type setting (like in church). Personally I don’t think I’d want to share my problems with a computer even if they basically are following the same structure a therapist would use.  There’s just something weird and creepy about it. Bottom line -I’d rather tell a rock or my dog my problems.

 “Every tool imposes limitations even as it opens possibilities. The more we use it, the more we mold ourselves to its form and function.”(2011 The Shallows, Pg. 209)

            I find this funny, and yet so true. Carr focuses on how he lost his ability to write by hand after typing so long with a computer. I can relate to this, when I was in elementary school we learned cursive for one year (I believe third grade) and never used it again. However with my standard writing when I was in first, second, third even forth grade my parents had to check and sign off on my homework, and my mom would constantly make me redo my homework until she could “clearly read it”. I hated this. I would throw a fit. Yet now with my younger brother, in middle school, my parents never really enforced his writing to any degree. I’m guessing because he really grew up on computer. I did too, but not to the extent that in elementary and middle school almost everything I turned in was typed.

            Maybe you’d think I’d have the upper hand and my writing is better, maybe it is by a little, but over crucial years of learning through middle school to high school I too switched and routinely used Microsoft. To this day I can type in my “help bar” in the Microsoft program, whatever I need “headings” and it shows headings and how to find it and do I bother learning how to find it? No, because its so simple to type headings and there it is.

            Auto Correct on my Mac and my phone are lifesavers to me. I’ve also struggled with learning disabilities and spelling and for years worked with teachers and special school people to correct such problems. Yet even right now, everything is red on my word document and with a few clicks I’ll find the correct spelling or word. Or when the computer has no idea what I’m trying to spell I just tell Siri to type it as text.  Scary to know how much I rely on the computer, and honestly I should work on this but it really does make life so much easier.

Carr uses a cover story that a writer of the New York magazine says:

“The wiring of the brain will inevitably change to deal more efficiently with information” We may lose our capacity to concentrate on a complex task from beginning to end,” but in recompense we’ll gain new skills, such as the ability to conduct 34 conversations simultaneously across six different media”(2011, The Shallows, p221)

Although I suppose I agree this could eventually happen to us, it would be very strange (I think) if anyone thought this could potentially be a “good thing”. Its scary to think that we may lose our ability to concentrate because the fact is there are many things in life that could suffer as a result of this. For an example career bosses most likely want our undivided attention to our work, same with school.

In a previous blog I mentioned a connection with the use of Internet now, and ADD/ADHD then Carr mentioned the possibility as well. Maybe the Internet also causes some sort of anxiety problems, so much happening at once and not being able to “take control”. Obviously that would be an extreme case of a constant Internet user, but just a thought.

             Overall I agree with Carr, so far I have on just about everything. However, if this is all possible and may happen some day, I know I definitely want to rethink the way I go about using technology so it doesn’t hurt me later in life.

Just to show the truth behind my lack of spelling and grammar, I attached the picture of the document before I spell checked it.

By: Allison Saffie