Is the Internet Changing the Way You Th ink? Th is is the title of a
2011 collection of interviews, edited by John Brockman, on the
impact of the Internet on our lives. Is the Internet changing
our way of thinking? Th e recent digital technologies are no
longer tools or devices that exist totally apart from our bodies
and minds. Th e Internet is not an instrument; it is an ambience
which surrounds us. Th e handheld devices that permit us to be
connected at all times are becoming ever lighter and smaller,
making life’s digital dimensions almost transparent. Th ey are
open doors that are rarely closed. Who turns off an iPhone anymore? One charges it and puts it on vibrate, but one rarely turns
it off . Th ere are some who do not even know how to turn one
off . If one carries a smartphone in one’s pocket, then one is always connected to the Internet.