Starting with Chapter 9 Carr highlights the beliefs of late 20th century technology entrepreneur, Marc Andreessen, who said “AI will save the world” (207). Andreessen notes that AI can do anything better than humans. Specifically, Andressen finds that AI is more productive, will make more scientific discoveries, and will rationalize political decisions. Moreover, Andresseen argues that AI will be humanized to appear as patient and sympathetic with the potential to make the world nicer and empathic (207).
Many AI advocates would agree with Andreessen’s points, similarly to Zuckerberg, that social media was made to bring people together and eliminate inequality as there is abundance for all. Their beliefs help pose the question, did these leaders ever consider the social and ethical consequences of technologies like social media and AI? Carr goes on to discuss that there are two groups in society: elites who live lavishly and the impoverished. Carr notes that Andreessen’s points relate to “transcendental consumerism” (208) or that people are not searching for spiritual freedom through technological means, but to have more things.
Users of social media like Instagram and AI machines like ChatGPT recognize that we are attracted to the ease and addiction of the platforms, but continue to feed it willingly (211). Carr highlights the Flynn effect when discussing the social ramifications of media. It claims that individuals believed our brains were getting smarter as IQ scores rose, however it was the culture that changed (212). The “malleability of human perception” is the basis of this comparison with social media and technology. The natural environment in human minds is polluted by the virtual world. The positive aspects attributed to advanced technology are socially constructed. Do natural events occur (or matter) when we can see them digitally? (215)
Overall, Chapter 9 focuses on how humans want to be satisfied and technology accomplishes that desire. Now that society has moved away from community experiences, technology fills the void.
In Carr’s final chapter, it starts with a slightly amusing story about a man turning himself into widespread media. A classic example of content “going viral”, just like the political videos that divide us and “mind rot” videos that play infinitely. Carr discusses how it is difficult for social media to be regulated because of free speech protections, however the “distraction and dysfunction” that comes from the videos may be more problematic than the former (223). The chapter poses the question of why people complain about social media corrupting the social world when they have free will over the information they share and receive?
“Frictional design” is the solution Carr poses to revert individuals to a natural simulation through dismantling social media from the inside out. Making technology less engaging by slowing it down, adding popups, and overall forcing users to become frustrated, will promote them to consider how many people are viewing their posts and how infinite scrolling impacts them. While frictional design and other safeguards may prompt users to consider their habits, the questions of free speech regulation would be raised. Even people who dislike the media and technological control of nature do not want governments to control technology. Additionally, modern society has morphed itself around technology. Social media and AI would not be the only two things that would change if people moved away from using technology as often.
Furthermore, Carr suggests that humans need nature to make sense of our minds and the world around us (230). AI does not understand the natural world because it cannot “kick rocks”. Humans need to make sense of the materials in the natural environment and not be consumed by materialism. Learning through hardship (like playing an instrument) is more rewarding than an algorithm pushing information towards us. Our innate desire to seek information needs to be a priority of the individual as governments will not be able to regulate social media because of freedom of speech. Salvation and fulfillment in human life will start with taking a step back from mass communication and technological stimulation.