Boyd: A visionary skeptic

Nicholas Carr's Shallows book has been the poster child for the dangers of the internet age; citing the massive distractions that the internet provides for the world's current generation. Nicholas' Carr's approach also reflects his position on the subject; he is a huge skeptic of the internet and it's benefits. To go about doing this, Carr conducted careful research and applied logical reasoning to support his position. By doing so, in a way Carr is criticizing the element of humanity when taking the internet into context. Though youtube videos and other forms of online entertainment do take away our productivity; they are products of creativity and human expression. From an anthropological perspective, these creations are invaluable and signifies a quirky evolution of the human thought. The internet liberated human expression in such a way that people from all over the world can converge and express themselves to the best of their abilities. Boyd is a proponent of these thoughts.

Boyd likened the internet to another form of highway, in that it connects people's minds together in virtual web. Through this highway of intellectual exchange comes with quirky internet phenomenons, from cat videos to documentaries. The internet is a major facilitator of the globalization trend that has happened within the last 100 years. Through the internet creates a powerful subculture; the internet that united many countries under its grasp. Internet culture isn't limited to merely cultural context; they are expressed in chats, discussion rooms, social media, pictures and videos; these mediums are cross compatible with each other; a Chinese man can exchange videos with an Swedish man, for example, but the medium of exchange is in a format of a video. Perhaps it's a cat video, in which case it breaks the language barrier and introduces an cat whose purpose is to bring smiles around the world. In this essence, Boyd praises the internet for it's creativity. Because she understands Carr's argument, she was keenly aware of the dangers, instead concentrating on the potential cognitive surplus provided by these interesting creations. Boyd focuses on the positive energy these creations can on human lives; cat videos can improve human mood, which can lead to greater levels of productivity. In this sense, Boyd is what I'd call a visionary skeptic.