Category: Barb Sawyers

by Barb Sawyers

It’s no secret that the web has changed the way we read. We quickly scan, then link to something else, consuming information at break-neck speed.

This has some people worried. According to an intriguing article I recently read from The Atlantic "Is Google making us stupid?", our new reading behaviour is rewiring our brains, just as hand writing, clocks, assembly lines and other innovations have throughout history.

The author, Nicholas Carr, laments our declining ability to read long tracts, grasp ambiguity and think deeply.  Lighten up, Nicholas.  Before you rush to judgment, let’s wait for the scientific evidence. In the meantime, let’s consider how this growing reading behaviour may be enriching our minds.

Snack vs feast
Nicholas cites a study of the online reading habits of researchers who snacked on many tidbits of internet information rather than finishing the long feast of research papers. Yes, they were not plumbing the depths of the articles. But, assuming they expended an equivalent amount of energy online snacking and thinking, most were still nourishing their minds, just in a different way.

Of course it’s up to the individual, perhaps with a prod from a teacher, boss or coach, to decide whether to connect those snacks through critical thinking. It’s also up to us to decide how we slice, splice and spice the snacks with knowledge we consume from books, television, personal conversations and other sources.

Exercise the brain
Like muscles, brains strengthen through exercise. The more the reader thinks about what she is reading, the more her brain will develop. Like exercise, more difficult or faster thinking should produce more growth. What’s more, cross-training with different kinds of mental activities, from solving soduko puzzles to playing the violin, should help create a better balanced brain.

So let’s not to be too quick to dismiss scanning and linking as part of a healthy brain workout.

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