anecdote homework 11/21

I can’t help but applaud Thompson for his accurate and open-minded research brought together in his writing. When I think about my personal experiences with the Internet and am able to extend Thompson with it, it makes sense that Thompson is ten years younger than Carr. Thompson is naturally more open to the change that the Internet has brought the world being that he has ten years less than Carr of being exposed to the original way of doing things. Some people are just naturally scared of change because it pushes them out of their comfort zone. However, I have embraced the constant changes and it has brought me nothing but convenience.  I often find myself lost in Facebook at times spending hours on end reading and analyzing how people present themselves on social media which has made me appreciate reading and writing more. Facebook is a form of reading and writing in which I enjoy and I am able to find myself “escaping from time” in my quest to read more statuses. The Internet has been an increased benefit to me as a student and a more analytical person all around. I am now constantly surrounded by reading and writing unlike before when my teachers were forcing me to read books for class I wasn’t able to understand and would take me forever to get through. Now that I am reading and writing more than ever because of the convenience of the Internet, I am able to get through a book faster and understand complex texts easier.

            On the other hand, my personal anecdote both qualifies and complicates Carr’s ideas in his text. He mentions, “The web has been a godsend to [him] as a writer” (Course Reader 58). This is qualified by my anecdote in that I do spend more time reading other people’s work on the Internet including articles and blogs. I know my friends feel the same way, especially when I refer them to articles that I particularly enjoyed. Not only does it help my friend receive insight on certain topics, but it also further gets the name of the author out there which encourages them to keep publishing their ideas. However, my experience with the Internet complicates the overall message in Carr’s work. “…what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Course Reader 59).  The connotation Carr gives the reader through his work communicates that he doesn’t like the way the Internet is changing us because we are becoming less intellectual in the way we think and analyze information. For me as an individual, I have noticed my concentration heighten due to the Internet because now I am used to reading for extensive amounts of time.