Big Switch hits bestseller list

I was in Germany this week, giving a talk at CeBIT, and didn’t have time to do any blogging. But I received a nice homecoming gift this morning, as The Big Switch appeared in the new Wall Street Journal business bestseller list, at Number 5 – just behind Good to Great and just ahead of Who Moved My Cheese?

wsjlist.jpg

24 thoughts on “Big Switch hits bestseller list

  1. Anonymous

    congrats…I constantly amazes me how pervasive tech is, and yet so few tech focused books make it big, how few politicians talk about tech industry and issues ..

    BTW is thet the same Who Moved my cheese from years ago? Wow!

  2. John C

    Hey Nick,

    Congratulations. Do you feel as though your wider appeal is due to the fact that you spent more time in this book digging in to the ramifications for society as we move toward the world wide computer? Tech business is not for everyone, this book is in my humble opinion.

  3. Linuxguru1968

    Bestseller! What’s next, a movie deal? “The Big Switch-The Movie” starring … Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates, Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs and …humm.. who could it be… I know: Tom Hanks as Nick Carr! Can’t wait for the DVD!

  4. alan

    Yes very nice homecoming surprise, I agree John, the historical perspective adds so much.

    Couldn’t make heads or tales of the Amazon Sales Rank chart though Pankaj, does it rank TBS up or down?

    Cheers Nick. Alan

  5. Pankaj Kumar

    Alan — the sales rank charts are inverted. No. 1 (that is, the no. 1 best seller) is at the top of Y-axis. The chart plots sales rank for last 3 months. Sales Rank are assigned by Amazon every hour and use an unpublished formulae, though recent change in volume weighs quite heavily.

  6. alan

    “Maybe he could snap his fingers and make Vista go away …. ;)”

    What’s Vista to Carr, just small talk, trivia. He didn’t call the book “The Big Switch” for naught.

    He definitely scores a 01010001 overall for the getup but the bling only gets 01110001

    Regards, Alan

  7. William F Slater, III

    Way to go, Nick. Congrats!

    I actually used this information is a presentation I created about Cloud Computing.

    billslater.com/datacentermanager

    Hey – how soon due you think some company will use “Get Off of My Cloud” (Rolling Stones) as a theme for some business objective related to Cloud Computing.

    Regards,

    Bill

    William Favre Slater, III, PMP

    Rock Star Data Center Manager

    1337 N. Ashland Ave. No. 2

    Chicago, IL 60622

    United States of America

    slater@billslater.com

    http://billslater.com/career

    773 – 235 – 3080 – Home

    312 – 758 – 0307 – Mobile

  8. Sid Steward

    … Tech business is not for everyone, this book is in my humble opinion.

    Entertainment is the secret ingredient, IMHO. And Monsieur Carr is very entertaining.

  9. Jane Smith

    Hi, I am a high school student from Milken Community High School in Los Angeles. We read your book Big Switch and here are my thoughts:

    In the movie Connections-A Trigger Effect that we watched in our high school class, we were forced to ask ourselves this big question: “What do the man-made objects in this room do for you just because they’re there?” After reading Nicholas Carr’s Big Switch, I think I finally understand what they really do for me and to tell you the truth, it has left me feeling quite unsure and unsettled about the usage of technology and what it implies for our future. The most unsettling chapters in the book for me happened to be the last four, in which it talked about things such as ideological amplification, terrorists using Google Earth to expose their enemies exact positioning, Thelma Arnold’s identity being revealed even though AOL promised anonymity, and most terrifying of all Google’s long term goal to create artificial intelligence.

    Before reading his book, I was completely unaware what the internet was doing for my life which reminds me of a quote from Burke saying, “Never have so many people understood so little about so much.” I had my first computer installed in my home when I was in first grade, so growing up with the internet had pretty much become normal and expected. I didn’t know any other life and therefore I didn’t ever think about any other life or that they internet could even be bad. Especially with Moore’s Law that states the power of microprocessors double every year or two, things were moving so fast that I didn’t even know that they were changing. However, Carr has opened my eyes to reveal to me some of the glitches that the Internet provides.

    I would like to first start with Ideological Amplification. Carr writes, “a group of researchers assembled sixty-three Coloradans to discuss three controversial issues…they were split into ten groups-five conservative and five liberal…In every case, the deliberations among like-minded people produced what the researches call ‘ideological amplification.’ People’s views became more extreme and more entrenched” (Carr, 164). In other words, the liberals posted even more liberal views whereas the conservatives posted even more conservative views. This is a dangerous situation because extreme views can result with extreme actions. Anyone is susceptible to the effects of ideological amplification (as well as everything else the internet has to offer) which makes it even more dangerous because you can take a really good person and without even trying turn him into an extremist.

    The other thing that caught my eye was the story of how British troops, “were surprised to discover pages of printouts from the Google Earth mapping service [in possession of terrorists]. The printouts showed British positions in enough detail that individual tents and even latrines could be identified” (Carr, 169). This just goes to show that a simple public website that could be used for good clean fun can also be used for extremely harmful and terrible ways. “Technology is amoral, and inventions are routinely deployed in ways their creators neither intend nor sanction” (Carr, 170). I think that one of the flaws in technology is that it is amoral. If creators have the power to make something so significant and impressive such as Google Earth, they should also technically be able to limit their creations so that they cannot be abused. Perhaps I am asking for something that is out of my reach, but it is still worth thinking about or attempting to do for the future.

    Similarly, Thelma Arnold’s story is another example of how a piece of technology can be abused. Thelma Arnold is just a normal citizen that was promised anonymity on AOL by replacing her name, along with other user’s names, with numbers. However, all it took was a curious journalist to look at number 4417749’s keywords to trace it back to a name: Thelma Arnold. Luckily for her, it was just a journalist that was looking for a story. However, many sick and perverted people could be doing the same exact thing and I can promise you that a story is not what they are looking for. Again, this can literally happen to anybody who has used a computer to search for something which makes it all the more terrifying; it can happen to your six year old daughter, or it can happen to your 80 year old father.

    The chapter titled iGod however took the cake for making me feel most uncomfortable. It mainly talked about Google’s long term plan to create something called artificial intelligence which goes along the lines of a computer attached to your brain. They even want to take it farther than that and create a computer that would be smarter than the human brain. I don’t know how anybody could read that and think to themselves “alright, I’m ready! Hook up me up, baby!” I believe that if Google fulfilled this goal, there would be drastic and catastrophic social change. First of all, you could say hello to extremist religion. Once there is a computer that is smarter than us, people will either start to doubt God’s existence or believe in it too much and form an extremist religion because the only thing right now that is “smarter” than humans is God himself. Furthermore, I believe that there will be a huge clash in the social structure by making the poor even poorer and the rich even richer or making everyone equal and creating a communist society. For instance, with machines that are smarter than humans, who would want to hire a person that they have to pay when they could just buy a machine that is even smarter and not have to give a paycheck to? This will cause even more jobless people in America and eventually throughout the world. However, the rich who will be buying the artificial intelligence will become indescribably rich! The other outcome is that when everyone has artificial intelligence, everyone will have the same resources. Therefore all humans will literally become equal in every cognitive way and will be forced to live within a communist society; how can there be a democracy when literally everyone is the same?

    If you really think about it, computers control our lives right now and we don’t even see it which brings us back to the question that I first addressed in the beginning of this essay. For example, a GPS. I personally do not know how to read a map. Why would I need to when I have a GPS? The GPS directs me to where I need to go and not how the way I want to go, but how the way it wants me to go. If my GPS failed and directed me to some weird route like a dirt path I would 100% not know what in the world to do. The old Thomas Guide sitting in the backseat would be utterly useless and I would be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Another example, Web MD. When I am sick, instead of calling the doctor, I just log onto the computer, go to webmd.com and type in my symptoms. The problem with this is that the diagnosis usually has cancer as one of the results. Now, if I am dumb enough to believe that I have cancer, it could be detrimental to my mental and social health. However, if I really did have cancer but I just thought it was one of the other options in the diagnosis, say for instance a simple ingrown toenail, then I would live my life without knowing that I had cancer because I am relying on this website to be my doctor.

    I am fully aware that I am writing with an extreme viewpoint and all of my examples are very unlikely to happen. However, the point that I am trying to make is that I think it is important to realize that the Internet is not just something that we should accept without questioning. I am grateful to Nicholas Carr for writing this book because it woke me up and allowed me to think in a way that challenges the motives of Google and other big technology companies. Perhaps their motives are all good and it will all work out in the future. I just hope to whoever is reading this that when Google tries to insert a piece of technology into your brain, that you will be smart enough to understand what is going on and make the right decision.

  10. Eve

    Mr Carr-

    I am a high school senior at Milken Community High School in Los Angeles. I am taking a class called America 3.0, which is based on the theory that America’s history is broken up into 3 parts – the revolutionary era and founding of the country is 1.0, the start of the Industrial Revolution until the 1950’s is 2.0, and from then on to the present is 3.0. My teacher came up with this theory and he posted an essay on it on our class blog – blogs.milkenschool/america3point0 – you can look at it if you’re interested.

    Anyway, we have read your book “The Big Switch” and have commented on it. Here are my thoughts:

    People tend to hang out with people that they’re comfortable with. They have interesting conversations, but don’t go off shouting at each other. People make friends with their neighbors based on religion, race, political views, and their children’s ages. They choose who to invite over for their Labor Day barbeque. The people they invite will probably be lawyers just like them, also have a kindergartener and a puppy, and go to the same church as the hosts do. They may even have the same “Yes on Prop 8; Protect Marriage” signs in their front yards.

    Nicholas Carr’s book, The Big Switch, talks the idea of ideological amplification, among other things. His theory, according to Carr, manifests itself through the internet. He recalls an experiment that proves this theory, in which “deliberations between like-minded…people’s views became more extreme and more entrenched (164).” The experiment he mentions focused on hot topic issues and the views conservative and liberal-minded people have concerning these issues.

    A liberal blog called Think Progress recently reported on a speech the former President gave to a high school graduating class telling about “the liberating feeling” he has now that he is not under the pressure of making decisions for the entire country. This report also included the following excerpt from his speech: “It was the first time Barney had ever been in an ordinary neighborhood, and Bush had to stop when the dog took liberties with a neighbor’s yard. “‘And there I was, former President of the United States of America, with a plastic bag on my hand,’” he recalled. “Life is returning back to normal.’” Responses included “If only he got that plastic bag on his head… some 14 years ago.” And “It’s a lot easier to clean after your dog than to pick up the s*** Bush left after taking a dump on this country. Life is good when you get away with barbaric war crimes without any consequences

    Though politics are a great indicator of people’s identities, there are lots of other ways to express an identity, as mentioned above. What about those people at the Labor Day barbeque? It wouldn’t be unusual for one of the hosts and a guest to discuss the aforementioned speech more positively over their beers and turkey burgers. I’d guess that other than being fans, the attendees at a Sheryl Crow concert would be liberals [one of her songs speak ill of the former President (“The President…led us as a nation into a war all based on lies”).] At a Red Sox vs.Yankees game attendees would probably not sit next to or even in the same row as someone wearing the rival’s color or jersey. Two Red Sox fans may rag on Johnny Damon (a Yankees player who used to play for the Red Sox) and it wouldn’t be surprising if each successive comment was more intense and offensive. Ideological amplification exists everywhere. It is true that Carr’s book focuses solely on technology, but there are other forms of ideological amplification.

    For those who don’t quite understand computers and other technology (myself included!!) comparing Carr’s writings to “plain people interactions” is helpful. That is why I chose to focus on the sociological notions connected to technology in The Big Switch.

  11. Aaron Arkin

    “All technological change is generational change. The full power and consequence of a new technology are unleashed only when those who have grown up with it become adults and begin to push their outdated parents to the margins. As the older generations die, they take with them the knowledge of what was lost when the new technology arrived, and only the sense of what was gained remains. It’s in this way that progress covers its tracks, perpetually refreshing the illusion that where we are is where we were meant to be.”

    This thought that Carr presents closes the book, “The Big Switch”. It is a prediction, and outlook for the future that appears to be quite grim. Technology is something that has ingrained itself into the culture of almost every society. It has expanded beyond comprehension what people can now do, and has very much changed the landscape of the traditional world. Carr’s belief in technologies positive influence is something I most definitely agree with. However, I do not stand by Carr’s pessimistic outlook on what he believes will be the future of technological advances.

    Every year, technology develops more and more leaving older products obsolete and useless. Technology continues to progress and change, both at rapid and slower paces. I don’t believe technology will ever be able to trump that of the human mind. Yes, it is true that technology will be harder to use for some, but I don’t believe there will come a time where technology overpowers or over rides human mandated control. People, whether that’s a group of engineers or a lone scientist will have had to program the initial product and will know how to maintain control over it. Carr states that older generations will die taking with them the traditional ways of doing things before the new technology took its place. This is the one thing that does frighten me. I believe my generation is the last to have learned core non-technological ways of self-expression and other traditional academic aspects. Take cursive for example, a form of hand writing that had been taught to elementary school students for years. I still remember learning cursive in the third grade, spending weeks on the unit mastering the complex form of the English written language. Cursive is a good example of something that has slowly been becoming obsolete due to the advancements in technology. Younger generations have no need for such a style of writing, considering most of the writing they do is done on some sort of a machine. Not only has technology altered the need of cursive, or lack there of, but also other aspects of the English language on a much larger scale. Internet lingo has become more and more popular with younger generations, and the integration into daily dialogue with others is both astounding and surprising. This Internet slang simply makes people look stupid. I am afraid that younger generations are not being taught proper English, because of the abundance of technology in their lives.

    Technology will most certainly play huge roles in what to come in the future. However, I believe that if we make sure not to get ahead of ourselves, and to pace ourselves in the roll out of new technological developments- a majority of people will be able to adapt to the complications and learning curve the technology will command. Carr’s Big Switch is a good roadmap of what is to come, however the scale of negative predictions I believe cannot be predicted at this time. As long as people hold onto the value of learning- the gift that the human mind gives us the chance to develop and learn new things, we will be able to handle the advances in technology- to a point where it may be running our lives and performing the simplest operations that the human itself had always done.

  12. Maya Raymond

    Nicholas Carr’s book, “The Big Switch” brought up many ideas and arguments in regards to the new technologically advanced world. Many of us are not as “advanced” as our technology is becoming. The new generation is becoming even more reliant on our technology because it supposedly is going to make life easier and more accessible to the outside world. This new access to the “cloud” is Carr’s new idea of all these technical advances being a “utility”. It will be of public use, and a monopoly. Soon, everything will be accessible from the Internet and nowhere else. For instance, now that we are all going through the college application process, some of the applications can only be accessed online, no where else. We have become immune to the Internet, our generation are aware of the ins and outs of the World Wide Web and are knowledgeable. Although, for our teachers who are a few generations older than all of us, aren’t as educated. We have to offer paper forms rather than sending them via email because they do not find the computer so simple to utilize. The computer is something we have to figure out. The issue raised is finding that common ground. We need to find that bridge between generations who are beginning to figure out technology, and the contemporary generation whom have grown up on it throughout their youth. It isn’t easy, but that’s is the exact issue that Carr and the rest of the technology consumers want to solve, technology being carefree and simple

    Technology eventually will replace our common useable necessities. Soon machines will be running our consumer world instead of actual human beings. The majority of the time when we call retail stores or companies, we talk to a machine. Before actually reaching the customer service, which we were intending on reaching in the first place, we have to go through multiple steps of listening and number pressing. Eventually, when we see that none of those options is what we want, we end up at costumer service, waiting, then finally being able to talk to a store representative and forgetting the reason why we even called. The hard working, determined consumers of the technology world are trying hard, but in the long run, I don’t know how much time that really saved me. We are supposed to be saving time and stress. Along with that, we have to remember all those employed people who now will be unemployed because of the replacement of that recorded message with number pressing. Obviously with this economic hardship, America is struggling to find jobs and money. This new technology is not exactly giving a positive benefit in the strive for that. Like Carr said, “ economists continue to debate the causes of the growing inequality in American incomes.”

    The World Wide Web being accessible to everyone has given people a lot more freedom. Even so, technology has lost the value of privacy that some think they are getting from the Internet. The minute we put our information out to the public we are letting out “private” information that now anyone could access if they wanted. Websites like Facebook, Myspace, Live Journal, have that “connotation” of privacy when it is truly not. The Internet can be dangerous in regards to that, it has even been proven, that is why we must be careful.

    Even though, the privacy aspect of the Internet is totally lost, sometimes the publicity is exactly what people want. The consumers serve to the people and the people get what they want. Like Carr’s idea, “that the World Wide Computer gives people new freedom to distribute their works and ideas to others, with none of the constraints of the physical world…” For people intentionally wanting to put themselves out there, they have been nothing by supported by the World Wide Web. Their talents and visions have been produced in an expeditious manner thanks to the advances of technology.

    The Internet has replaced that physical aspect of all actions. Technical America has found the easy alternative of communicating. Instead of physical contact we find that video chatting and skyping has become the alternative because it is simply effortless. “New ways of interacting with computers in which delegated systems perform tasks proactively on users behalf…” Technology has made it possible for someone in Los Angeles to communicate with someone in Bangkok with out the cost of traveling. “After all, the internet erases the physical boundaries that separate us, allows the free exchange of information about the thoughts and lives of other, and provides an egalitarian forum in which all views can get an airing.”

    Carr has given insight on the type of people that technology has made us become or is trying to turn us into. Through this entire technology overload, we have adapted an “artificial intelligence”. He refers to Foreman’s’ idea that “computers will [not] start to think like us, but that we will come to think like computers” This suggestion comes from the idea of “pancake people” as Foreman refers to us because we are elongating ourselves and our ability to consume the immense amount of information and knowledge by one click of a button. America is thinking that they are becoming more “intelligent” from this invention of technology when eventually all they will be is reliant to it. Instead of actually learning facts and information and being able to digest it, we become less appreciative and know that we can just Google it a hundred more times until it is instilled in our brains. This computer that we can access any sort of information that we want, has become our brains, our memory. Students in America are not merely learning to learn anymore. When assigned a research paper of some sort, students now explore the Internet relating to time. We have become slaves to time and the World Wide Web is saving us. Now it is how fast we can finish this paper, instead of reading and learning to actually gain some useful knowledge. So is the World Wide Web actually saving us? Well, in relation to time, sure, but in regards to the love of learning, or value of it, not as much. We see college students cramming to get a paper in on time and their first thought to getting it done quickly, so they can get some sleep, would be the Internet. Reading from textbooks and novels cause students to stop, slow down and actually digest information. Although, typing in a few key words into a search engine sounds a lot more appealing than sitting for hours trying to get to the center of your point. Now that the Internet can be accessed from literally anywhere you are, thanks to laptops and cell phones, we have created a technology reliable society.

    The Internet has sped up present-day America, supposedly making lives easier and more accessible. It has changed the routines of today’s generation in comparison to past and has continued shaping outsiders knowledge of what this technology is capable of. The argument of the Internet actually being that much better and beneficial to society has been going on for years, but according to consumers they are not close to finished. They are going to be pushing the envelope until ideas have dwindled down, which does not seem to be arriving any time soon. A lot of the arguments and ideas brought up in Carr’s “The Big Switch” has been intriguing causing me to think truly about what technology is doing to our world. It has been recognized that I am part of that reliant world and do not know what I would do without my computer. I guess that switch in our advances from Edison to Google truly was “Big”.

  13. Maya Raymond

    Nicholas Carr’s book, “The Big Switch” brought up many ideas and arguments in regards to the new technologically advanced world. Many of us are not as “advanced” as our technology is becoming. The new generation is becoming even more reliant on our technology because it supposedly is going to make life easier and more accessible to the outside world. This new access to the “cloud” is Carr’s new idea of all these technical advances being a “utility”. It will be of public use, and a monopoly. Soon, everything will be accessible from the Internet and nowhere else. For instance, now that we are all going through the college application process, some of the applications can only be accessed online, no where else. We have become immune to the Internet, our generation are aware of the ins and outs of the World Wide Web and are knowledgeable. Although, for our teachers who are a few generations older than all of us, aren’t as educated. We have to offer paper forms rather than sending them via email because they do not find the computer so simple to utilize. The computer is something we have to figure out. The issue raised is finding that common ground. We need to find that bridge between generations who are beginning to figure out technology, and the contemporary generation whom have grown up on it throughout their youth. It isn’t easy, but that’s is the exact issue that Carr and the rest of the technology consumers want to solve, technology being carefree and simple

    Technology eventually will replace our common useable necessities. Soon machines will be running our consumer world instead of actual human beings. The majority of the time when we call retail stores or companies, we talk to a machine. Before actually reaching the customer service, which we were intending on reaching in the first place, we have to go through multiple steps of listening and number pressing. Eventually, when we see that none of those options is what we want, we end up at costumer service, waiting, then finally being able to talk to a store representative and forgetting the reason why we even called. The hard working, determined consumers of the technology world are trying hard, but in the long run, I don’t know how much time that really saved me. We are supposed to be saving time and stress. Along with that, we have to remember all those employed people who now will be unemployed because of the replacement of that recorded message with number pressing. Obviously with this economic hardship, America is struggling to find jobs and money. This new technology is not exactly giving a positive benefit in the strive for that. Like Carr said, “ economists continue to debate the causes of the growing inequality in American incomes.”

    The World Wide Web being accessible to everyone has given people a lot more freedom. Even so, technology has lost the value of privacy that some think they are getting from the Internet. The minute we put our information out to the public we are letting out “private” information that now anyone could access if they wanted. Websites like Facebook, Myspace, Live Journal, have that “connotation” of privacy when it is truly not. The Internet can be dangerous in regards to that, it has even been proven, that is why we must be careful.

    Even though, the privacy aspect of the Internet is totally lost, sometimes the publicity is exactly what people want. The consumers serve to the people and the people get what they want. Like Carr’s idea, “that the World Wide Computer gives people new freedom to distribute their works and ideas to others, with none of the constraints of the physical world…” For people intentionally wanting to put themselves out there, they have been nothing by supported by the World Wide Web. Their talents and visions have been produced in an expeditious manner thanks to the advances of technology.

    The Internet has replaced that physical aspect of all actions. Technical America has found the easy alternative of communicating. Instead of physical contact we find that video chatting and skyping has become the alternative because it is simply effortless. “New ways of interacting with computers in which delegated systems perform tasks proactively on users behalf…” Technology has made it possible for someone in Los Angeles to communicate with someone in Bangkok with out the cost of traveling. “After all, the internet erases the physical boundaries that separate us, allows the free exchange of information about the thoughts and lives of other, and provides an egalitarian forum in which all views can get an airing.”

    Carr has given insight on the type of people that technology has made us become or is trying to turn us into. Through this entire technology overload, we have adapted an “artificial intelligence”. He refers to Foreman’s’ idea that “computers will [not] start to think like us, but that we will come to think like computers” This suggestion comes from the idea of “pancake people” as Foreman refers to us because we are elongating ourselves and our ability to consume the immense amount of information and knowledge by one click of a button. America is thinking that they are becoming more “intelligent” from this invention of technology when eventually all they will be is reliant to it. Instead of actually learning facts and information and being able to digest it, we become less appreciative and know that we can just Google it a hundred more times until it is instilled in our brains. This computer that we can access any sort of information that we want, has become our brains, our memory. Students in America are not merely learning to learn anymore. When assigned a research paper of some sort, students now explore the Internet relating to time. We have become slaves to time and the World Wide Web is saving us. Now it is how fast we can finish this paper, instead of reading and learning to actually gain some useful knowledge. So is the World Wide Web actually saving us? Well, in relation to time, sure, but in regards to the love of learning, or value of it, not as much. We see college students cramming to get a paper in on time and their first thought to getting it done quickly, so they can get some sleep, would be the Internet. Reading from textbooks and novels cause students to stop, slow down and actually digest information. Although, typing in a few key words into a search engine sounds a lot more appealing than sitting for hours trying to get to the center of your point. Now that the Internet can be accessed from literally anywhere you are, thanks to laptops and cell phones, we have created a technology reliable society.

    The Internet has sped up present-day America, supposedly making lives easier and more accessible. It has changed the routines of today’s generation in comparison to past and has continued shaping outsiders knowledge of what this technology is capable of. The argument of the Internet actually being that much better and beneficial to society has been going on for years, but according to consumers they are not close to finished. They are going to be pushing the envelope until ideas have dwindled down, which does not seem to be arriving any time soon. A lot of the arguments and ideas brought up in Carr’s “The Big Switch” has been intriguing causing me to think truly about what technology is doing to our world. It has been recognized that I am part of that reliant world and do not know what I would do without my computer. I guess that switch in our advances from Edison to Google truly was “Big”.

  14. Sam

    Hi, I am a high school student from Milken Community High School in Los Angeles. I am in a class that is now studying the effects of technology on our society. Usually, we post our assignments on our own blog (http://blogs.milkenschool.org/america3point0/), but our assignment this time was to post on a more public blog. In class, we read Nicholas Carr’s book The Big Switch and here are my thoughts about the book:

    I feel that today it is very important to debate issues that are important. If we need to find a solution to a problem, it should be discussed so that we can get the best possible answer. However, often times we see examples of what Carr calls “ideological amplification”. In our class, one of our assignments was to go to the internet and research a topic that is highly debated in our country today. Students in my class researched different topics such as abortion, gay rights, and the death penalty. Our job once we chose a topic was to find a liberal and a conservative blog about the topic. We were then supposed to read the blogs and look for similarities and differences.

    It is often times believed that a liberal view and a conservative view are very different. Often times, as Carr explains, “Liberals listen almost exclusively to other liberals, and conservatives listen almost exclusively to other conservatives.”(164). What I found very interesting was that through Carr’s description of an experiment done in 2005 and through my own reading of these blogs, often times people’s views can become so extreme that in fact, their views might not even agree with the views of the party they claim to be a part of. In Carr’s example of the experiment that took place in Colorado in 2005, when the people of the experiment were asked to discuss an issue with someone who shared their view, “people’s views became more extreme and more entrenched.” (164). When people are asked to discuss issues with other people that agree with their position, there are no different opinions that can challenge someone’s ideas. When the same thought is continuously discussed, the thought will become so extreme that it will no longer represent what the idea originally was when the discussion began. This is an example of “ideological amplification”.

    In my own research, my classmates and I found examples of ideological amplification on both liberal and conservative blogs. One liberal blog website that I found had the slogan “where the Left is right and the Right is wrong”. That slogan alone gave me an idea of what I was going to find. In the blogs that I read, often times the bloggers criticized the conservatives and continued to write why their opinion was correct. In the conservative blogs, one blog that I read called the new health care bill, “Obamacare”. The blog asked its readers, “Is Obamacare the answer?” I know that not all liberals and all conservatives have such strong views. In Congress, congressmen and congresswomen listen to both sides of an issue before voting.

    This is also the same in the television media. Over the last couple years, I have begun to watch more news channels to learn about the issues. Often times, however, I have seen news anchors that offer opinions that are sometimes very extreme. I have watched examples of both liberal and conservative news channels that don’t spend time talking about the other side of the argument. I was watching the other day on MSNBC one news show host who tries to bring both sides of the argument onto his show. However, whenever the guest would say something leaning towards the conservative side of the argument, something that the host did not agree with, the host would cut off the guest and move on to another topic. The same example can be seen on Fox News. A couple of months ago, there was a lot of tension between Fox News and the Obama administration. President Obama’s people were calling some of the news that Fox News was reporting false.

    Carr’s book opened my eyes to many interesting issues and questions that we have in our country today. Before reading the book, I did not think about the consequences that would come out of our continued advancement of technology. I felt that the more advanced in technology that we became the better. This book also taught me about the true effect that technology, no matter how significant, has on our society. Technology has come a very far way from what it was just a couple decades ago. Usually, we think of a couple decades as not being such a large part of history. However, in the world of technology, in the span of twenty years, technology has significantly developed. These thoughts, however, leave us with questions about whether or not we think that these changes have been for the better of for the worse. Does advancement in technology ever stop? Are there some aspects of our lives that we don’t want to change? If there are, can we control whether or not they will be changed? These questions, I feel, are questions left unanswered until we are five years down the road and we look back at today and analyze what has changed.

  15. Sarah Brustein

    After reading Nicholas Carr’s essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” and his book “The Big Switch”, I feel that my opinion about the Internet has changed dramatically. Initially, I could not imagine living well without the Internet. It provides an easy access to sources and makes it possible to communicate with long-distance friends and family. I check my email daily, connect with friends on Facebook, and research for school projects and assignments frequently. Despite all the benefits of the Internet, I now see the darker side of its effects. The Internet poses many pit falls, hinders our mentality, and gives us access to questionable sources.

    Some of the pit falls that endanger Internet users are identity theft, loss of innocence, and cheating and falsifying information. Identity theft is a big issue today. Carr says “a software program can be shared by many people, all using it at the same time” (112). Because people can share information through one software, it opens the door to potential abuse of privacy. Without even knowing, we may provide information about ourselves that others, like the government or criminals, may be able to steal and use against us. There are many incidents where people hack into other people’s personal accounts, making big purchases on credit cards, using people’s life insurance, applying for loans, and destroying people’s credit. Cheating is more accessible for Internet users as well. For instance, students can now opt to take work from essay websites for a small price, and turn it in, rather than writing their own work. I have also recently heard that there are now websites where anyone can print out their own fake diploma. The Internet is also dangerous to young minds because it cannot be censored. For example, my seven-year old cousin knows how to work the Internet better than I do. He has access to things a seven-year old should not be seeing or doing. I have heard stories of young children connecting with child predators, who are posing as kids their age, finding porn, and posting information and photos about themselves that endanger their lives. As Carr says, the Internet has “always been plagued by conmen, criminals, and vandals, who have proven adept at discovering and exploiting vulnerabilities in software” (171).

    Along the same lines, validity of certain sources on the Internet is another problem we face. Nowadays, we are so reliant on websites rather than books, but we do not know if the information on the websites shares true facts. When doing a research project, people often use the first two or three websites given off the search engine, one of which always seems to be Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an example of a source that is not reliable because anyone could change the information provided. False or incriminating information could be added, ruining a reputation. Personal blogs and gossip websites are usually the most harmful to people’s social life. People are also able to make their own websites, leading us to the conclusion that not all websites can be trusted.

    Besides risks, the Internet has created a mentality that promotes attention deficit disorder in our culture. In Carr’s essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, he mentions how people can no longer read a book and instead they “power browse”, or skim from source to source without truly reading, making books “obsolete”. This phenomenon is invading into other aspects of our life such as watching a movie, reading a magazine, or hearing the news. In my class, we talked about how people cannot sit through a movie without looking down at their phone or losing interest and falling asleep. Seeing this phenomenon, moviemakers are responding by cutting down the time length of the film and shortening the plot from many great novels, just to keep the attention of the viewers. Likewise, magazines are becoming more picture-oriented and cutting down their articles just to keep our attention. Personally, I find that when I read a magazine, I do not focus on the writing but only on the pictures, which dominate the magazine. This affects us negatively because we are losing our ability to take in and analyze knowledge, or in Carr’s words our loss of “deep thinking”.

    The biggest concern that all families have is that the Internet is ruining personal relationships. The new fad for all teenagers is to own a Blackberry. Not only does it have its own application of “BBMing” (Blackberry Messenger), but also has instant access to the Internet. From my personal experience, I cannot sit at a family dinner without my Blackberry in my lap. Carr also looks at the dependency of adults on their phones. “The price they pay,” Carr says, “is a loss of autonomy, as their employers gain greater control over their time, their activities, and even their thoughts” (202). If employees are constantly being distracted by their bosses, they are less focused on their family or children. As a result, their relationships suffer. For example, in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada”, the character of Anne Hathaway finally got to spend time with father, but was interrupted by her Blackberry constantly ringing. Her boss demanded that she drops what she is doing and finds her a flight back home the same night.

    In the words of Carr, “the Internet has always been a machine of many contradictions both in the way it works and in the way it is used and perceived” (110). I believe the Internet in many ways interferes with our daily life. Identity theft, conartisits, cheating, unreliability, and its constant distraction are just a few negative aspects of using the Internet. With all of this in mind, I have to be more aware of how I use it. Even though I admitted of being a little too obsessed with its positive attributes, I now know that I have to be careful with what I write and research, and not believe everything the Internet says.

  16. Sami Perlman

    Hi my name is Sami Perlman. I am a senior at Milken Community High School and have just completed reading your book “The Big Switch” in my history class. My history class is called America 3.0 where we have been studying American history since the 1950’s. We’ve also been considering our near future may be like. It’s an extremely interesting class; most kids probably don’t get the opportunity to study these topics.

    While reading your book I found some of the concepts presented in the chapter “A Spider’s Web” quite frightening. I was unaware of some of the issues you raised. I viewed the internet as a source of entertainment and information. I never would have thought that my daily on-line activities would be used by people that I don’t even know. Some of these scary concepts included the ease of tracking down someone from anonymous on-line data, governments using on-line data to control the thoughts of their people, and businesses reaching into people’s private lives to get marketing information on their interests.

    The chapter starts with the report given by two New York Times reporters about how easy it is to find someone though their keyword searches. I never really stop to think that my keyword searches may be reviewed by strangers for some unknown reason. It seems to me that some of theses strangers who enjoy looking into someone’s private life could be creepy stalkers. The experience of Thelma Arnold could happen to anyone, even me. I do not have any interest in committing any crime but I would feel better knowing that there is some sort of privacy. After reading about Thelma’s story of her complete exposure of her life, I feel that privacy does not exist.

    The constitution of the United States does not mention a right to privacy. Even though the constitution does not mention the right to privacy, it does imply that we have an expectation to be secure in our own homes and persons. Also, there are many laws that suggest that we have an expectation of privacy in certain settings. Around the world, some governments are using on-line data to have control over the thoughts of their citizens. For example, you cite Hu Jintao, the Chinese president and his speech about how his country will use the internet “for reinforcing the Communist Party’s influence over the thoughts of his country’s people.” For us Americans, learning that the Communist Chinese are controlling the thoughts of its people is nothing new. Under totalitarian governments there is no such thing as privacy; people are always watched. To know that the internet makes it much easier for our own government to invade our privacy and attempt to control our thoughts is chilling. For Americans this is something we are very scared of, because we value our personal freedom very much.

    As your book points out, even if our government is not directly surveilling us (as far as we know), businesses in little ways are surveilling us. In the same chapter, “A Spider’s Web”, you write about how businesses use data-mining techniques to reach into people’s personal lives. They are trying to obtain marketing information about us that they can use to attract us to their products. There are some positive aspects to this. For example, I’ve recently noticed that on my facebook page there have been recurring advertisements catered to my tastes. These businesses keep track of my internet surfing patterns to give me choices of things I am more likely to buy. For me, I enjoy seeing advertisements for things I am interested in. For others, this could be a scary thought, knowing that someone they don’t know is keeping track of their habits. But even I have a problem with businesses surreptitiously scanning my brain with an MRI to discern my inner-most thoughts and desires just to sell things to me. It is possible for businesses to go too far in using the internet to track people’s behavior.

    The internet is a tool, like many other tools human beings use. There are positive aspects and negative aspects to each tool. Some tools can be used as weapons by bad people, and the internet is no different. As I read your chapter, “A Spider’s Web”, I was frightened by the thought of the negative uses of the internet. I’ve always enjoyed using the internet for pleasure and for work. But now I will always have the thought in the back of my mind of who is watching me and what are they learning about me.

  17. Ethan Abrams

    Thomas Edison wanted to harness electricity and be able to give it to citizens around the United States. Edison was consumed with the idea of supplying electricity over a network from a central generation station. He wanted to illuminate entire cities, so he created the Edison Electric Light Company. In order to achieve his goal, he had to pursue technological breakthroughs in every major component of the system. “He had to pioneer a way to produce electricity efficiently in large quantities, a way to transmit the currently safely to homes and offices, a way to measure each customer’s use of the current, and finally, a way to turn the current into a controllable, reliable, light suitable living spaces” (27). When electricity turned into a utility, it pushed the price of power down, which set off a chain reaction that changed business, media, and culture.

    McDonald’s is the world’s largest hamburger chain that serves about 47 million customers daily. At one time it was the largest global restaurant chain, but was surpassed by Yum! Brands, which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell and by the sandwich chain Subway. Electricity has helped McDonald’s become one of the largest food empires in the world. In July of 2008, the Las Vegas Sun reported that, for two weeks, “two cups of McDonald’s iced coffee sit on the Fox 5 TV news desk, a punch-you-in-the-face product placement to chase down your morning news” on KVVU. The director claimed that the product placement did not affect their reporting. News anchors are portrayed as intelligent people. So, when they are shown having McDonald’s iced coffee, people watching it would also want to drink it to seem intelligent as well. Without electricity it would be much harder for McDonald’s to advertise their products to the general public.

    During the health craze McDonald’s was suffering, so they added healthier choices such as salads and wraps for adults and made “healthier choices” for kids. McDonald’s released a pledge to direct 100% of the national advertising to children under 12 years old for healthier choices. They advertised the 4 piece Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal or Hamburger Happy Meal as the healthier option. In May 2008 that added more meals to the list of advertised foods that qualified as a “healthier option.” McDonald’s defines “healthier choices” as those under 600 calories, a highly caloric meal for a child. Also, in November of 2008, McDonalds had television advertisements that featured children under twelve waving bags of McDonald’s around. This advertisement targeted children saying that eating McDonald’s is cool and that everyone should eat it. Without cheap electricity, McDonald’s would not be able to target the younger generation. They were able to make McDonald’s a household name because of their advertisements and many locations.

    Besides product placement and advertisement, McDonald’s was able to utilize electricity efficiently in their stores to maximize their profit. The first thing that McDonald’s did was to place large electronic yellow “M” above their store. This symbol could be seen from a distance and tells the person that a McDonald’s is near. With McDonald’s at the height of its popularity people like to know where all the McDonald’s are near. Another way that McDonald’s utilized cheap electricity is by setting up drive-thrus. With the addition of drive-thrus McDonald’s was able to serve more people quicker and people like the convenience of not having to leave the car in order to get their food. McDonald’s also added electric screens on the drive-thrus to make sure that the customer is ordering the right food. The addition of these screens made sure the customers were happy, so they would come back to McDonald’s again.

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