Essay Questions

Explain why the book was given the title “The Shallows”?

The book’s title is a play of words, referring to the phenomenon observed by the author. This phenomenon that he has observed growing in intensity and frequency is that of people becoming less capable of sustaining long periods of focus coupled with the seeming inability to create and sustain meaningful personal relationships apart from the use of apps and devices caused. This phenomenon of “shallow” focus and “shallow” relationships, the author argues, is caused by an excessive reliance on smart phones and wifi enabled technology; this is also what the author alludes to and where the title of the book is drawn from.

What does the author want to warn his readers of?

Although the author is very concerned about the decline of humanity’s mental abilities this is not what he warns the readers of as he feels that this is merely a “symptom” of the “malady”. What he warns his readers of rather is the dependency upon devices and apps. This heavy reliance upon these forms of technology, the author posits, has stunted or even caused humanity’s mental facilities to erode. He calls for a more careful and more thorough evaluation of the long-term effects of the use this technology has upon the entire spectrum of human life considering how profound its impact has been upon us all.

Why is the author so suspicious of social media platforms?

Social media platforms, despite the promise of keeping groups of people connected regardless of distance, fail to deliver on that pledge. It fails to perform that function not because it’s a poor tool but because of the impersonal and indirect nature of the interactions created through it. Social media accounts are carefully curated by their owners to showcase only what is good and/or grand creating an impressive if somewhat fabricated persona. These personas they create are in some situations very different from the truth and any relationship that isn’t based upon honesty is a recipe for disaster.