This week was very interesting. We discussed how Claude Shannon worked to separate information from meaning, which led to the creation of the binary code computers use today to communicate. Binary would allow computers to operate and send information more efficiently. Binary code is very interesting because it reminds me of how the brain works. All of our reality is based on tiny electrical signals that our brain is able to integrate, as the recipient computer of signals would. This recreates the information as text on the other side, while simplifying the signals in transit. The person reading the information on the other side is able to gather the meaning from the text.

The internet also gave a reader more control over their information intake with the creation of hypertexts. Sites like Wikipedia contain many embedded links, so that the user has choice in their information pathway. Therefore, the invention of the internet gave people freedom to explore information, rather than have it dictated to them as a book would. Not everyone agrees that this is a good thing. With so much information ready at our fingertips and a number of tangents to follow on any given website, our attention span is challenged. Carr said that it is important to practice sustained reading, following the author’s point, to counteract this. I think that the internet can be a big distraction. Growing up with constant, multiple sources of stimulation programs people to always seek that level of distraction. It is almost as if we need it to function and can look very similar to ADHD. I will often watch TV while I am on my phone.