Atlantic reporter Nicholas Carr admits to feeling like something has “tinkered with his brain.” The Internet, he fears, could disrupt our minds. We have lost the ability to concentrate on a simple task and memory retention steadily declines. He worries about the effect of the Internet on the human brain and where it could lead us into the future. In response to this article, Jamais Cascio, also a journalist at the Atlantic, gives his position on the question. He argues that this different way of thinking is an adaptation derived from our environment. Ultimately, he believes this jerky way of thinking is simply a natural evolution, one that will help advance the human race. Carr is worried. He admits that he now struggles with the simple task of sitting down and reading a book. Absorption of the text is now laborious, and he finds his mind drifting to other realms. Moreover, this phenomenon is not limited to itself. Bruce Friedman, a pathologist at the University of Michigan Medical School, admits that he "can't read War and Peace anymore...even a three or four paragraph blog post is too much" (Carr). Additionally, Scott Karp, a dedicated blogger specializing in online media and literature, says he was an avid reader in college. Unfortunately, he observes the same trend as Carr and Friedman. Karp speculates that the loss of concentration is not so much a change in the way he reads, but in the way he thinks (Carr). Carr concedes, saying his Internet theory can't be based solely on anecdotes, but he's convinced Karp is onto something. According to a study by College London, people spend most of their time browsing articles on the Internet. The participants moved from one site to another... in the middle of the article...... in the passage it refers to "scientists" as the source of information, but does not cite any person or no particular search. Interestingly, both journalists conclude their articles with uncertainty in their views. Where will the future take us? We have no idea. Will technology eventually harm human cognition? We don't know. We will never know for sure until the time is right. In the meantime, we can continue to research and speculate, but that's it. Personally, I believe that technology has a significant effect on the human mind. It now dominates every aspect of our lives, even our biological processes. Technology is an incredibly powerful tool, and with great power comes great responsibility. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google making us stupid?” The Atlantic (2008): 1-3. Cascio, Never. “Be smart.” The Atlantic (2008): 1-3.