[Web4lib] Re: "Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains"

[Tim Spalding]

Sure, but I don't think the author's wrong that the web encourages the
practice. Google the article a bit and you'll find lots of blog posts
of people noticing the same change of reading habits in their own
life. Then reflect on how normal that was to do—to check out a
question rapidly by reading a few headlines and the first sentence of
a few paragraphs. Sure, this happened before, but it's more common
now.

Tim

On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 9:07 AM, Mike Taylor <mike at indexdata.com> wrote:
> "I took a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty
> minutes.  It involves Russia." -- Woody Allen
>
> Indeed, skim-reading long predates the Internet.  It seems
> disingenuous to blame Google for this.
>
>  _/|_    ___________________________________________________________________
> /o ) \/  Mike Taylor    <mike at indexdata.com>    http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
> )_v__/\  "There's no getting around it: to awesomely, boldy lead in an
>         authentic way, you must be authentically awesome.  There's no
>         room for deception" -- Brant Hansen, _The 417 Rules of Awesomely
>         Bold Leadership_
>
>
>
>
> Kathryn Silberger writes:
>  >       As I began reading this article, my initial reponse was that the
>  > author needed to take up Yoga.
>  >
>  >       It is an interesting question he asks, but he has some assumptions
>  > about pre-Internet behavior that could use further reflection.  When
>  > discussing  a study of "online research habits" by University College of
>  > London, he mentions they found people were skimming as they researched.  It
>  > seems to make the assumption that prior to the Internet, people read
>  > articles and books from start to finish, slowing and carefully, taking in
>  > every word.  I don't believe that.  Publishers wouldn't have been going to
>  > the expense of creating detailed indexes if researchers were reading in
>  > that manner.  Ever since long documents have been in existence, people have
>  > been reading relevant portions.
>  >
>  >       When I was in Junior High School  there was a special speed reading
>  > class.  We attended before the beginning of the regular school day.  We
>  > read books on weird machines that lowered a metal sheet over the page at a
>  > given rate which we controlled.  We took comprehension tests on all we read
>  > and then were assigned a score based on speed and comprehension.
>  > Comprehension was key.  It was, in a sense, training in mental focus.  But
>  > we were also taught skimming techniques, and when and how to use them.  The
>  > course was viewed as scholarly preparation.  The message was that we would
>  > do different types of reading.  Some reading would be the more
>  > contemplative careful reading one does with fiction and philosophy.  But
>  > other reading would involve picking out needed information from larger
>  > documents.  While the NYT may have recently started publishing more
>  > abstracts of articles, as long as I've been reading the WSJ there have been
>  > two columns of just such abstracts on the front page.
>  >
>  >       What percentage of the population read books in 1820, in 1860, in
>  > 1900, in 1920, or in 1950?  What percentage of the population is on the
>  > Internet right now?  I doubt that the core reading population has changed
>  > its mental habits as much as the author assumes.
>  >
>  >       I also question some of the assumptions about what log analysis can
>  > reveal about human behavior.  I do a fair amount of log analysis because it
>  > does provide some interesting insights. But we need to be aware of its
>  > limitations as well.   My personal observation is that most people will
>  > print an article they choose to read closely.  Few people read extensive
>  > text online.  I must confess that to read this article I printed it out.
>  > Personally I doubt that log analysis can give us a very good idea of how
>  > people ultimately interact with the written word.  Traditional book
>  > publishing may be under seige but HP is doing just fine!
>  >
>  >             Certainly the Internet will bring about massive social changes.
>  > The author has asked a potentially interesting question, but I think he
>  > needs explore the issue more carefully after a few years of Yoga.
>  >
>  > Katy
>  >
>  > Kathryn K. Silberger
>  > Automation Resources Librarian
>  > James A. Cannavino Library
>  > Marist College
>  > 3399 North Road
>  > Poughkeepsie, NY  12601
>  > Kathryn.Silberger at marist.edu
>  > (845) 575-3000 x.2419
>  >
>  >
>  >
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