Con-Artists Use our Web Habits Against Us
While most people think the Internet is making everything more democratic, more fair, and easier, I would beg to differ. In Nicholas Carr’s landmark 2008 article in The Atlantic, “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains,” he argues the point that the Web has literally changed the way we read. He says: “Marketers have always used vague wording to hide the shortcomings of products and services, but the Internet provides an ideal setting for such obfuscation. The Net has trained us all to be superficial readers — to skim, scan, surf and browse. This style of reading allows us to gather lots of information very quickly, but what we often
overlook are the subtle nuances of words and messages. As the reader discovered, that can raise the odds of being hoodwinked, particularly when we make online purchases. Before hitting the Buy button, it’s a good idea to hit your mind’s Pause button.”
My literary agent has confirmed Carr’s premise, and is hammering on me to make my next book easier to read for those who grew up reading emails and websites. But more to Carr’s point, I would encourage you to slow down, check the fine print, and beware before you buy online.
