The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

The Shallows loosely follows the classical argument structure. Analyze how the book uses this structure and consider what impact this specific argumentative style has on Carr’s larger purpose.

What role does capitalism play in the proliferation of the Internet? How do economic structures affect the Internet’s impact? To what degree does Carr address the economic aspects of the Internet’s history?

Carr uses tactics from both personal essay writing and journalism to construct his argument. What effect do Carr’s personal anecdotes have in a popular science nonfiction text? How do they work in tandem—or in tension—with the more scientific and informative aspects of the book?