Nick Carr Doesn’t Smell

I’m disappointed with Mathew Ingram. I respect his opinion and his blog has become a regular visit in my evening browsing. I’m disappointed because Ingram has added his voice to the chorus of global digerati agog at a piece in the Atlantic suggesting the Internet might not be awesome. The piece is written by Nick Carr, infamous for, among other things, arguing that user-generated content threatens to ruin culture.

In his latest article Carr complains that the Internet might not only ruin culture, it might also ruin the way we think. Or more precisely, the way we’re currently thinking. In the piece he presents anecdotal evidence (along with a bit of research) suggesting that the Internet is altering the ability of people to engage in ‘deep reading’. Carr defines the term to mean the act of reading long form works (books, essays, etc) without being easily distracted. It’s clear from the beginning of the essay that the loss of this ability is a Bad Thing(tm).

About the kindest thing I can say about the response of Ingram and other technology pundits is that it’s been predictable. A mix of resentment, scorn and condescension, Ingram sums up the mood….