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taglines · 06-22-2010, 10:48 PM

Is the internet making us stupid? I don't think so.

Would Hamlet have carried a BlackBerry if such a tablet was available back in his day? I think so. (He would call it an erasable tablet!)

Is reading online and multitasking at the computer terminal re-writing our brains? I don't think so. In fact, I am sure it is not.

Not anymore than reading a newspaper re-wires the brain. Or reading a book on paper. Enough with this re-wiring the brain crap!

But I will tell you what I do think: I think that reading texts -- fiction and nonfiction, poetry and literature, news articles and oped essays -- on a screen is NOT "reading" per se, as we have traditionally defined "reading."

So what is it? I believe screen-reading is a new kind of human mode of reading and that it calls out for a new name.

I call it "screening" until a better word comes down the road and I am sure a better will come down the road. Soon. But for now, bear with me, let's call it "screening." Because it aint reading!

When future MRI scans are done on people during PHD tests to ascertain whether or not different regions of the brain light up when we read on paper compared to when we "read" on screens, the results will show that reading on paper is vastly superior for four things: processing of info, retention of info, analysis and critical thinking skills.

Don't believe me? Ask Anne Mangen in Norway.

Ask Maryanne Wolf at Tufts.

Ask Bill Hill in Hawaii.

Ask James Fallows and David Pogue and John Markoff.

They all have their own takes on this. Listen! And they don't all agree with me. In fact, many people disagree and that's okay, too. But watch!

Ask Gary Small at UCLA. Ask thinkers like William Powers and Patricia Cohen and Nick Bilton and Vindu Goel and Kara Swisher.

Ask Nick Carr or Nicholson Baker. Ask Edward H. Tenner.

So ask Marvin Minsky at MIT. Ask Paul Saffo the futurist. Ask Kevin Kelley or Charles Bigelow. Hey, ask Maureen Dowd!

Is reading on paper superior to reading on screens? You bet.

Will this make any difference? Nope.

Reading devices will continue to sell and be sold, and to hell with critical thinking and analysis, empathy or
EQ!

Money talks, there's the bottom line to feed.

Feed it, Jeff Bezos!

06-22-2010, 10:48 PM	#5
taglines Banned Posts: 96 Karma: 334 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: nook	Is the internet making us stupid? I don't think so. Is the internet making us stupid? I don't think so. Would Hamlet have carried a BlackBerry if such a tablet was available back in his day? I think so. (He would call it an erasable tablet!) Is reading online and multitasking at the computer terminal re-writing our brains? I don't think so. In fact, I am sure it is not. Not anymore than reading a newspaper re-wires the brain. Or reading a book on paper. Enough with this re-wiring the brain crap! But I will tell you what I do think: I think that reading texts -- fiction and nonfiction, poetry and literature, news articles and oped essays -- on a screen is NOT "reading" per se, as we have traditionally defined "reading." So what is it? I believe screen-reading is a new kind of human mode of reading and that it calls out for a new name. I call it "screening" until a better word comes down the road and I am sure a better will come down the road. Soon. But for now, bear with me, let's call it "screening." Because it aint reading! When future MRI scans are done on people during PHD tests to ascertain whether or not different regions of the brain light up when we read on paper compared to when we "read" on screens, the results will show that reading on paper is vastly superior for four things: processing of info, retention of info, analysis and critical thinking skills. Don't believe me? Ask Anne Mangen in Norway. Ask Maryanne Wolf at Tufts. Ask Bill Hill in Hawaii. Ask James Fallows and David Pogue and John Markoff. They all have their own takes on this. Listen! And they don't all agree with me. In fact, many people disagree and that's okay, too. But watch! Ask Gary Small at UCLA. Ask thinkers like William Powers and Patricia Cohen and Nick Bilton and Vindu Goel and Kara Swisher. Ask Nick Carr or Nicholson Baker. Ask Edward H. Tenner. So ask Marvin Minsky at MIT. Ask Paul Saffo the futurist. Ask Kevin Kelley or Charles Bigelow. Hey, ask Maureen Dowd! Is reading on paper superior to reading on screens? You bet. Will this make any difference? Nope. Reading devices will continue to sell and be sold, and to hell with critical thinking and analysis, empathy or EQ! Money talks, there's the bottom line to feed. Feed it, Jeff Bezos!