Nicholas Carr argues that not since Gutenberg invented printing has humanity been exposed to such a mind-altering technology. ‘The Shallows’ draws on the latest research to show that the internet is literally re-wiring our brains inducing only superficial understanding. As a consequence there are profound changes in the way we live and communicate, remember and socialise – even in our very conception of ourselves. By moving from the depths of thought to the shallows of distraction, the web, it seems, is actually fostering ignorance.