The Shallows
This is a book that has been around for a year or so. A friend sent me an extract the other day so I bought it. The book doesn’t target the website designer directly but touches on his work in many different ways. It is a call to re-evaluate humanity’s relationship with the computer - and in particular with the Internet. The book is more about psychology than technology but should still be read by web professionals as psychology is the currency in which they deal.
Carr draws upon scientific and philosophical studies dating back to the Greeks to describe humanity’s reaction to technologies such as the map, the clock, language, writing, books and media. He explains how the brain can adapt very quickly to new stimuli and the molecular basis for memory.
Emotions such as empathy and innovation are discussed and the way that the unlimited distractions of the Internet reduces our ability to absorb anything in any depth. Simply put, the greater the amount of information, the less the amount of knowledge. We’re becoming ‘pancakes’ - very wide and very thin and unable to concentrate.
As far as us website developers are concerned it’s a lost cause. We deal with clients who want each page to be a profusion of riches, the more distractions (sorry, choices) the better. Throw the kitchen sink at it? Of course. Annoying Flash? Please! Oceans of ridiculous content? Don’t touch a word!
And still, they will blame the designer/Internet when there’s no business. Read the book.