Archive for March, 2025
The Automatic Muse
the Automatic Muse Nicholas Carr: 2021 blog post, now inlcude and updated in chapter 8, “Machines Who Speak,” of Carr’s 2025 book Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart. In the fall of 1917, the Irish poet William Butler Yeats, now in middle age and having twice had marriage proposals turned down, first by […]
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June 5, 2025 at 11:04 am
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May 1, 2025 at 12:25 pm
There’s a lot going on in this paragraph. I believe it could’ve been broken up into a second paragraph around where the author brought up the age of enlightenment. I would use the second paragraph to go over my own thoughts on it.
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May 1, 2025 at 12:21 pm
This paragraph is a great setup for a more formal paragraph about how hypertext affects a larger audience. The language used for describing the hypertext provided transports the reader to the state of mind their in.
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May 1, 2025 at 2:36 am
The author’s word choice is very expressive. The description of digital technology as being in a “larval stage” produces the image of an entity still under development, yet to be hatched. This entomic comparison can be two-fold, also evoking the idea of infestation and rapid multiplication. This notion attests to the proliferation of digital media as well. The author’s later likening of the writer to a puppet master also has a theatrical effect that underscores their claim about delivering meaning through a controlled narrative. These metaphors keep the reader engaged and help illustrate the author’s argument more fully.
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May 1, 2025 at 2:27 am
Throughout the essay, the author asserts that the shift from printed to screened literature is a natural one. The author likens this phenomenon to other technological advancements, addressing how time management and increased productivity act as key motivators for this transition. However, the author does not explain how the accelerated adoption of digital media compares against these previous changes. In paragraph 9, I believe the author’s abbreviated retelling of history as linearly progressive is problematic. Not all technological adaptations are innately beneficial and improve the quality of life for all; to suggest otherwise is dismissive of the barriers that may exist to access or safely engineer such technologies. In the introduction, the author touches upon the cerebral shapeshifting that may be induced by digital consumption. This could be a point that supports the argument that the shift to electronic media is abnormal, but the author does not revisit it in a counterargument.
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April 3, 2025 at 10:11 am
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April 1, 2025 at 12:39 pm
“Socrates wasn’t wrong — the new technology did often have the effects he feared — but he was short sighted.” —>
He brings up a good point here. The biggest fear when it comes to technology is that it masks ignorance, making one seem much more knowledgeable than they truly are. But technology also provides users with the ability to expand their knowledge and promote their ideas/writing to a wider array of individuals. Socrates worries were understandable, but also minuscule in comparison to the benefits technology provides.
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April 1, 2025 at 12:36 pm
This paragraph stuck out to me as I do relate to having trouble focusing on long pieces of text. The idea of convenience is very relevant, as I find myself more motivated to read shorter texts than longer texts. Knowing that someone like Scott Karp, who majored in lit and read books often, now does not read feels like a complete flip. Knowing how the web has shown texts to us and comparing it to physical books can be bchallengingrd for our minds to comprehend, which he states in earlier paragraphs. The media has completely rewired our minds, which may come at some cost.
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April 1, 2025 at 4:43 am
Similar to Carr, I have struggled to sharpen my attention when completing reading assignments. Oftentimes, the availability of other consumable media becomes a distraction. The immediacy that online platforms provide can make tackling such a large quantity of data intimidating. For me, skimming becomes a preliminary tool used to scope the most relevant information before dedicating more time to an article. In this way, I connect with a desire for expediency and efficiency. I am compelled by Carr’s argument that the modes for garnering texts have a lasting, biological imprint, molding the way we access, perceive, extract meaning, and respond to the written word. However, I also believe the shift is more nuanced. For instance, I generally do not have difficulty engaging myself deeply in texts that are of special interest or are selected for leisure. For accounts that are tasked, the fleeting motivation to read often begins before my eyes cross the page, as I am juggling a sizable volume of work with competing deadlines and themes that cater to another’s professional focus. I am curious how the Internet has shaped how and to what extent assignments are drafted for students, and how this change has forced individuals’ studying habits to adapt.
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