Good points. It’s challenging for many people to strengthen their intelligence when ever-increasing amounts of information fight everyday for space in our already-limited attention spans. I think not merely smartphones but excessive engagement with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc. stifles concentration which, with respect to the Kierkegaard bit, may breed higher rates of angst, anxiety, despair—perhaps similarly to experiences of withdrawal from highly addictive substances? Social media appeal, in general, seems borne out of an increasingly pervasive fear of missing out. Paradoxically, one’s heightened engagement does not squash but rather promotes the fear—similarly e.g., to the workings of nicotine addiction. My fear is that excessive interaction with fragmented media leads to more scattered thought processes and thus weaker interpersonal skills, less deep connection, among other socio-existential issues.
So, I agree that “…Carr’s fears about the influence of smartphones on reading habits were not broad enough...” I would argue (non-exhaustively) the culprits of diminished intelligence and increased distractibility qua the fragmented contents of social media, coupled with the pervasive need or expectation for instant but brief communication.
Good points. It’s challenging for many people to strengthen their intelligence when ever-increasing amounts of information fight everyday for space in our already-limited attention spans. I think not merely smartphones but excessive engagement with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc. stifles concentration which, with respect to the Kierkegaard bit, may breed higher rates of angst, anxiety, despair—perhaps similarly to experiences of withdrawal from highly addictive substances? Social media appeal, in general, seems borne out of an increasingly pervasive fear of missing out. Paradoxically, one’s heightened engagement does not squash but rather promotes the fear—similarly e.g., to the workings of nicotine addiction. My fear is that excessive interaction with fragmented media leads to more scattered thought processes and thus weaker interpersonal skills, less deep connection, among other socio-existential issues.
So, I agree that “…Carr’s fears about the influence of smartphones on reading habits were not broad enough...” I would argue (non-exhaustively) the culprits of diminished intelligence and increased distractibility qua the fragmented contents of social media, coupled with the pervasive need or expectation for instant but brief communication.
"Fragmented media" is an apt phrase!