Nicholas Carr

When we're overwhelmed by messages from many different people, many different sources, some people who we know, some people who we don't, we have to start speeding up our interpretation of what we're receiving. And as a result, we become much more superficial in the way we converse with other people, the way we assess other people, the relationships we form with other people.

When we're overwhelmed by messages from many different people, many different sources, some people who we know, some people who we don't, we have to start speeding up our interpretation of what we're receiving. And as a result, we become much more superficial in the way we converse with other people, the way we assess other people, the relationships we form with other people.

And that triggers, you know, sometimes you can make friends and have a good conversation online, but it tends to trigger that kind of overwhelming amount of information, tends to trigger quite negative qualities in our psyche. So things like animosity, aggression, a sense of mistrust of people.

And that triggers, you know, sometimes you can make friends and have a good conversation online, but it tends to trigger that kind of overwhelming amount of information, tends to trigger quite negative qualities in our psyche. So things like animosity, aggression, a sense of mistrust of people.

But even though most of us recognize these problems, we haven't changed our behavior. The intense flow of information and stimulation may be bad for us, and I think it is, particularly when we look at social relations, but we love it. Human beings, like other animals, have this very deep and very powerful seeking instinct.

But even though most of us recognize these problems, we haven't changed our behavior. The intense flow of information and stimulation may be bad for us, and I think it is, particularly when we look at social relations, but we love it. Human beings, like other animals, have this very deep and very powerful seeking instinct.

We want to know everything that's going on in our environment, everything that's going on around us. And you can understand this in evolutionary terms, because if you knew that there was a predator out there, or if you knew that there was some supply of food over there, that helped you survive. So we're wired to constantly seek out information.

We want to know everything that's going on in our environment, everything that's going on around us. And you can understand this in evolutionary terms, because if you knew that there was a predator out there, or if you knew that there was some supply of food over there, that helped you survive. So we're wired to constantly seek out information.

Now we have a medium and a device, the smartphone, where there's no end to new information. So there's no end to stuff that stimulates us and triggers this seeking instinct. So we have this conflict within ourselves where we crave the stimulation that comes through the technology, even though...

Now we have a medium and a device, the smartphone, where there's no end to new information. So there's no end to stuff that stimulates us and triggers this seeking instinct. So we have this conflict within ourselves where we crave the stimulation that comes through the technology, even though...

It's undermining our ability to think deeply, to form deep relationships, and to really understand one another at more than a superficial and often very biased level.

It's undermining our ability to think deeply, to form deep relationships, and to really understand one another at more than a superficial and often very biased level.

I have to say that I am not hopeful that as a society, we are gonna change our behavior. I think we have very much adapted to this new communication medium And in some ways we've reshaped all of society around the assumption that everybody is always online, everybody is always reachable, everybody is always monitoring all these message flows. But I do think that at an individual level,

I have to say that I am not hopeful that as a society, we are gonna change our behavior. I think we have very much adapted to this new communication medium And in some ways we've reshaped all of society around the assumption that everybody is always online, everybody is always reachable, everybody is always monitoring all these message flows. But I do think that at an individual level,

we can come to a realization that there is a conflict between the technology and our nature and begin to think differently about how we use the technology. I'm not suggesting that people throw away their phones or disconnect from the internet, but I guess the best way I can put it is that we should use the best tool for the job.

we can come to a realization that there is a conflict between the technology and our nature and begin to think differently about how we use the technology. I'm not suggesting that people throw away their phones or disconnect from the internet, but I guess the best way I can put it is that we should use the best tool for the job.

And what we've come to believe mistakenly is when it comes to communicating with other people, gathering information, making sense of the world, we've come to believe that the internet is our all purpose tool. It's good for everything and that's how we use it.

And what we've come to believe mistakenly is when it comes to communicating with other people, gathering information, making sense of the world, we've come to believe that the internet is our all purpose tool. It's good for everything and that's how we use it.

And I think that's a mistake that actually when it comes to interpersonal communication, talking to people, gathering information and making sense of complex issues, the internet is actually a really bad tool.

And I think that's a mistake that actually when it comes to interpersonal communication, talking to people, gathering information and making sense of complex issues, the internet is actually a really bad tool.

And so that means for those kind of things, particularly conversing with other people and building relationships, if we really want to escape the problems, we have to back away from the internet for those purposes and think about different tools or no tools at all to use in building relationships, getting to know other people, and understanding the world.

And so that means for those kind of things, particularly conversing with other people and building relationships, if we really want to escape the problems, we have to back away from the internet for those purposes and think about different tools or no tools at all to use in building relationships, getting to know other people, and understanding the world.

One thing I discuss is how social media and messaging platforms have changed the way we converse, the way we talk to each other. It used to be if you wanted to talk to someone who was far away, you wrote them a letter. And that meant sitting down.

One thing I discuss is how social media and messaging platforms have changed the way we converse, the way we talk to each other. It used to be if you wanted to talk to someone who was far away, you wrote them a letter. And that meant sitting down.

thinking carefully about what you wanted to say, writing it out, using complete sentences, and then mailing it off, and they got it, and there was this delay. Then email came along, and we kind of got used to email and messages coming into our emails email mailboxes all the time.

thinking carefully about what you wanted to say, writing it out, using complete sentences, and then mailing it off, and they got it, and there was this delay. Then email came along, and we kind of got used to email and messages coming into our emails email mailboxes all the time.

And so we began to compress the way we talked to each other and we lost some of the courtesies and some of the niceties of letter writing and then texting took over. And now most of how we communicate with other people is through these very short, very abrupt, very sloppy messages. And we've kind of gotten used to it.

And so we began to compress the way we talked to each other and we lost some of the courtesies and some of the niceties of letter writing and then texting took over. And now most of how we communicate with other people is through these very short, very abrupt, very sloppy messages. And we've kind of gotten used to it.

So we don't even notice the fact that, oh, we're sending out and receiving messages, including to family members and close friends that are filled with typos, that have weird autocorrect things, that have poor punctuation, that often don't make much sense. One thing you can do is to say, look, I need to make more of an effort

So we don't even notice the fact that, oh, we're sending out and receiving messages, including to family members and close friends that are filled with typos, that have weird autocorrect things, that have poor punctuation, that often don't make much sense. One thing you can do is to say, look, I need to make more of an effort

in talking to people and conversing with people to talk to them in person, to actually use the phone function, and maybe even actually sit down once in a while and write them a letter. Because all of those tools, I would argue, are actually better for talking to one another and for conversing.

in talking to people and conversing with people to talk to them in person, to actually use the phone function, and maybe even actually sit down once in a while and write them a letter. Because all of those tools, I would argue, are actually better for talking to one another and for conversing.

And we've abandoned them for what I think is a very silly reason that they're not as efficient as texting. But is efficiency really the measure we want to use for communicating with other people? I believe if you think about it, you realize that actually efficiency is absolutely the wrong criterion for most of our interpersonal communication.

And we've abandoned them for what I think is a very silly reason that they're not as efficient as texting. But is efficiency really the measure we want to use for communicating with other people? I believe if you think about it, you realize that actually efficiency is absolutely the wrong criterion for most of our interpersonal communication.

And yet the technology has encouraged us to kind of take this industrial view of even intimate conversations that they need to be fast and they need to be blunt and we need to go through high speed networks to conduct them.

And yet the technology has encouraged us to kind of take this industrial view of even intimate conversations that they need to be fast and they need to be blunt and we need to go through high speed networks to conduct them.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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using it in a much better way, getting the benefits from it, because there's also lots of benefits, but not falling into the trap of thinking, oh, the best way to live my life and the best way to build and sustain relationships is through this little screen that I hold in front of myself. I'm absolutely convinced that that's a big mistake.

using it in a much better way, getting the benefits from it, because there's also lots of benefits, but not falling into the trap of thinking, oh, the best way to live my life and the best way to build and sustain relationships is through this little screen that I hold in front of myself. I'm absolutely convinced that that's a big mistake.

But I have to say, I'm also absolutely convinced that breaking that habit is extraordinarily difficult now that we're so thoroughly adapted to and dependent on the technology.

But I have to say, I'm also absolutely convinced that breaking that habit is extraordinarily difficult now that we're so thoroughly adapted to and dependent on the technology.

Thanks, Mike. I really enjoyed it. Enjoyed the conversation.

Thanks, Mike. I really enjoyed it. Enjoyed the conversation.

We've come to believe that the Internet is our all-purpose tool. It's good for everything. And I think that's a mistake, that actually when it comes to interpersonal communication, gathering information and making sense of complex issues, the Internet is actually a really bad tool.

We've come to believe that the Internet is our all-purpose tool. It's good for everything. And I think that's a mistake, that actually when it comes to interpersonal communication, gathering information and making sense of complex issues, the Internet is actually a really bad tool.

When we're overwhelmed by messages from many different people, many different sources, some people who we know, some people who we don't, we have to start speeding up our interpretation of what we're receiving. And as a result, we become much more superficial in the way we converse with other people, the way we assess other people, the relationships we form with other people.

And that triggers, you know, sometimes you can make friends and have a good conversation online, but it tends to trigger that kind of overwhelming amount of information, tends to trigger quite negative qualities in our psyche. So things like animosity, aggression, a sense of mistrust of people.

But even though most of us recognize these problems, we haven't changed our behavior. The intense flow of information and stimulation may be bad for us, and I think it is, particularly when we look at social relations, but we love it. Human beings, like other animals, have this very deep and very powerful seeking instinct.

We want to know everything that's going on in our environment, everything that's going on around us. And you can understand this in evolutionary terms, because if you knew that there was a predator out there, or if you knew that there was some supply of food over there, that helped you survive. So we're wired to constantly seek out information.

Now we have a medium and a device, the smartphone, where there's no end to new information. So there's no end to stuff that stimulates us and triggers this seeking instinct. So we have this conflict within ourselves where we crave the stimulation that comes through the technology, even though...

It's undermining our ability to think deeply, to form deep relationships, and to really understand one another at more than a superficial and often very biased level.

I have to say that I am not hopeful that as a society, we are gonna change our behavior. I think we have very much adapted to this new communication medium And in some ways we've reshaped all of society around the assumption that everybody is always online, everybody is always reachable, everybody is always monitoring all these message flows. But I do think that at an individual level,

we can come to a realization that there is a conflict between the technology and our nature and begin to think differently about how we use the technology. I'm not suggesting that people throw away their phones or disconnect from the internet, but I guess the best way I can put it is that we should use the best tool for the job.

And what we've come to believe mistakenly is when it comes to communicating with other people, gathering information, making sense of the world, we've come to believe that the internet is our all purpose tool. It's good for everything and that's how we use it.

And I think that's a mistake that actually when it comes to interpersonal communication, talking to people, gathering information and making sense of complex issues, the internet is actually a really bad tool.

And so that means for those kind of things, particularly conversing with other people and building relationships, if we really want to escape the problems, we have to back away from the internet for those purposes and think about different tools or no tools at all to use in building relationships, getting to know other people, and understanding the world.

One thing I discuss is how social media and messaging platforms have changed the way we converse, the way we talk to each other. It used to be if you wanted to talk to someone who was far away, you wrote them a letter. And that meant sitting down.

thinking carefully about what you wanted to say, writing it out, using complete sentences, and then mailing it off, and they got it, and there was this delay. Then email came along, and we kind of got used to email and messages coming into our emails email mailboxes all the time.

And so we began to compress the way we talked to each other and we lost some of the courtesies and some of the niceties of letter writing and then texting took over. And now most of how we communicate with other people is through these very short, very abrupt, very sloppy messages. And we've kind of gotten used to it.

So we don't even notice the fact that, oh, we're sending out and receiving messages, including to family members and close friends that are filled with typos, that have weird autocorrect things, that have poor punctuation, that often don't make much sense. One thing you can do is to say, look, I need to make more of an effort

in talking to people and conversing with people to talk to them in person, to actually use the phone function, and maybe even actually sit down once in a while and write them a letter. Because all of those tools, I would argue, are actually better for talking to one another and for conversing.

And we've abandoned them for what I think is a very silly reason that they're not as efficient as texting. But is efficiency really the measure we want to use for communicating with other people? I believe if you think about it, you realize that actually efficiency is absolutely the wrong criterion for most of our interpersonal communication.

And yet the technology has encouraged us to kind of take this industrial view of even intimate conversations that they need to be fast and they need to be blunt and we need to go through high speed networks to conduct them.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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using it in a much better way, getting the benefits from it, because there's also lots of benefits, but not falling into the trap of thinking, oh, the best way to live my life and the best way to build and sustain relationships is through this little screen that I hold in front of myself. I'm absolutely convinced that that's a big mistake.

But I have to say, I'm also absolutely convinced that breaking that habit is extraordinarily difficult now that we're so thoroughly adapted to and dependent on the technology.

Thanks, Mike. I really enjoyed it. Enjoyed the conversation.

We've come to believe that the Internet is our all-purpose tool. It's good for everything. And I think that's a mistake, that actually when it comes to interpersonal communication, gathering information and making sense of complex issues, the Internet is actually a really bad tool.