A survey has shown that by 2020, there were roughly 4.54 billion Internet users worldwide, with a penetration rate of 59%, an increase of almost 300 million since 2019. Globally, social media is used by 3.96 billion people—approximately 51% of the world population—with a year-on-year increase of 10%. The Internet has now become an integral part of most of people’s lives.

The internet, however, is a double-edged sword. Although the Internet has brought with it many conveniences, it has also burdened us with problems such as information overload and dependency on the virtual world. You may have noticed that much of the time, our brains have become accustomed to taking in information in a superficial manner, and that we are no longer able to hold our attention with matters that require deep thought. How have our brains changed? What are the consequences of those changes, and how can we circumvent this problem? The Shallows will provide us with answers to these questions.