Can you recall the last time you read a book? And I mean fully read a book-page by page, beginning to end, and predominantly containing more words than pictures. For me, it must have been a few months ago. I find myself learning about things I’m interested in via the internet, digging for current and valuable information, from credible news sources. I have to admit, I think the only way I would feel compelled to go to the nearest Barnes & Noble or Borders and purchase a book, is if it were some type of self-help book. Most of the self-help related material is only given to me in doses and there’s a reason why novels such as “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz or “The Tipping Point” and “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, are one the bestseller list.

Although it’s been a while since I’ve finished a paperback novel, I do read up on relevant articles and/or blogs on the internet everyday. In the post by Erick Schonfield, “No, The Internet Won’t Make You Stupid”, he points out that the well-known author, Nick Carr argues, “The more links in a piece of writing, the bigger the hit on comprehension.” I support Schonfeld’s rebuttal that “An article with links is a living text, which exists in relation to other texts and thoughts on the Web. They let you go as deep down the rabbit hole as you care to go.” In my opinion, including links within an article, is similar to conducting your own research on a specific topic over the internet from difference sources, and synthesizing what was conveyed to you, in order to form your own opinion.