--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The internet, as its proponents rightly…" description: "\"“The internet, as its proponents rightly remind us, makes for variety and convenience; it does not force anything upon you. Only it turns out it doesn’..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/nicholas-g-carr-18458_internet_the-internet-as-its-proponents-rightly-r_2413507.jpg" --- # The internet, as its proponents rightly remind us, makes… ![“The internet, as its proponents rightly remind us, makes for variety and convenience; it does not force anything upon you. Only it turns out it doesn’t feel like that at all. We don’t feel as if we had freely chosen our online practices. We feel instead that they are habits we have helplessly…” quote by Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/nicholas-g-carr-18458_internet_the-internet-as-its-proponents-rightly-r_2413507.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/nicholas-g-carr-18458_internet_the-internet-as-its-proponents-rightly-r_2413507.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/nicholas-g-carr-18458_internet_the-internet-as-its-proponents-rightly-r_2413507.jpg) > ““The internet, as its proponents rightly remind us, makes for variety and convenience; it does not force anything upon you. Only it turns out it doesn’t feel like that at all. We don’t feel as if we had freely chosen our online practices. We feel instead that they are habits we have helplessly picked up or that history has enforced, that we are not distributing our attention as we intend or even like to”” [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The internet feels like a set of habits imposed on us rather than choices we freely make, limiting our control over attention. **In simple terms:** Online habits feel forced, not chosen. Key Takeaway Recognize and reclaim control over digital habits. Themes technology attention habit control freedom Mood reflective concerned Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - personal productivity - digital detox - mindful browsing - time management Key Concepts digital addiction attention economy behavioral design Questions to Reflect On - How can you redesign your online environment to support intentional use? - What habits do you wish to replace? A Different Perspective Habits may be deeply ingrained and hard to change without strong motivation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chosen Online](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chosen-online-6084171/) [Feel Freely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-freely-2229727/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet Proponents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-proponents-6084168/) [Online Practices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/online-practices-6084169/) [Practices Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practices-feel-6084170/) ## Related quotes > [Whatever I'm writing has seemed to be about something I don't feel I could freely express in my everyday life, and stand-up is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaboukie-young-white/whatever-i-m-writing-has-seemed-to-be-about-something-i-don-t-feel-i/) [Jaboukie Young-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaboukie-young-white/) > [“Some innovations just don’t attract enough economic or social demand: just as supersonic flight and manned space flight stagnated after the 1970s, today (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-j-rees/some-innovations-just-don-t-attract-enough-economic-or-social-demand/) [Martin J. 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We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Though 'Fat City' was written long before cellphones or the Internet, its human apparatus is state of the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/though-fat-city-was-written-long-before-cellphones-or-the-internet/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [I enjoy upsetting the right people. I love poking fun at earnest censors. I want to push the bounds of what can be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-enjoy-upsetting-the-right-people-i-love-poking-fun-at-earnest/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) ## More by Nicholas G. Carr > [A lot of your mental energy goes to figuring out where does one word end and the next begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/a-lot-of-your-mental-energy-goes-to-figuring-out-where-does-one-word/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [There are a whole lot of reasons to be very happy that our brains are able to adapt and adapt so readily because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/there-are-a-whole-lot-of-reasons-to-be-very-happy-that-our-brains-are/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [By putting the means of production into the hands of the masses but withholding from those same masses any ownership over the product of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/by-putting-the-means-of-production-into-the-hands-of-the-masses-but/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [We become, after the arrival of the printing press in general, more attentive more attuned to contemplative ways of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/we-become-after-the-arrival-of-the-printing-press-in-general-more/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [It's interesting to think about how the book changed us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/it-s-interesting-to-think-about-how-the-book-changed-us/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [I think if you look back through the intellectual history of human beings you can trace the way that intellectual technologies influence the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/i-think-if-you-look-back-through-the-intellectual-history-of-human/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [One of the fascinating things about early writing on slates, on papyrus, even on early handwritten books, is for instance, there were no space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/one-of-the-fascinating-things-about-early-writing-on-slates-on/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [Culture is sustained in our synapses...It's more than what can be reduced to binary code and uploaded onto the Net. To remain vital, culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/culture-is-sustained-in-our-synapses-it-s-more-than-what-can-be/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [What the book does as a technology is shield us from distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/what-the-book-does-as-a-technology-is-shield-us-from-distraction/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [In popular books and articles, information technology writer Carr has worried over the ways that algorithms like those employed by Google are reshaping the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/in-popular-books-and-articles-information-technology-writer-carr-has/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [The brain likes to be efficient and so even as its strengthening the pathways you're exercising, it's pulling - it's weakening the connections in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/the-brain-likes-to-be-efficient-and-so-even-as-its-strengthening-the/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [I think we begin to lose the ability to read in the deepest, most interpretive ways because were not kind of calming our mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/i-think-we-begin-to-lose-the-ability-to-read-in-the-deepest-most/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [You can take a book to the beach without worrying about sand getting in its works. You can take it to bed without being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/you-can-take-a-book-to-the-beach-without-worrying-about-sand-getting/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [The practicality of technology may distinguish it from art, but both spring from a similar, distinctly human yearning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/the-practicality-of-technology-may-distinguish-it-from-art-but-both/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [I think what the book did in addition to its practical uses, is it gave us a more attentive way of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/i-think-what-the-book-did-in-addition-to-its-practical-uses-is-it/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) [Explore all 34 Nicholas G. Carr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) ## More Internet quotes > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [I enjoy upsetting the right people. I love poking fun at earnest censors. I want to push the bounds of what can be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-enjoy-upsetting-the-right-people-i-love-poking-fun-at-earnest/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Though 'Fat City' was written long before cellphones or the Internet, its human apparatus is state of the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/though-fat-city-was-written-long-before-cellphones-or-the-internet/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Note to self: If you do not know how to spell a big scary spiders name, DO NOT look it up on the internet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-eisele/note-to-self-if-you-do-not-know-how-to-spell-a-big-scary-spiders-name/) [Becky Eisele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-eisele/) > [I remembered reading about a disease called Leishmaniasis, which matched my symptoms. I'd always thought it was an old wives' tale - a sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fogle/i-remembered-reading-about-a-disease-called-leishmaniasis-which/) [Ben Fogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fogle/) > [The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-internet-lets-thousands-of-total-strangers-collaborate-to-produce/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I don't have faith in the Internet, I have faith in people connected through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gilliam/i-don-t-have-faith-in-the-internet-i-have-faith-in-people-connected/) [Jim Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gilliam/) > [The internet is very democratizing in some ways, but it also has other effects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/the-internet-is-very-democratizing-in-some-ways-but-it-also-has-other/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [“Some innovations just don’t attract enough economic or social demand: just as supersonic flight and manned space flight stagnated after the 1970s, today (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-j-rees/some-innovations-just-don-t-attract-enough-economic-or-social-demand/) [Martin J. Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-j-rees/) > [Moveon is not a one-way broadcast media. The Internet, when used best, is a two-way media. We have a forum in which people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-blades/moveon-is-not-a-one-way-broadcast-media-the-internet-when-used-best/) [Joan Blades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-blades/) [Browse all 9,049 Internet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The internet, as its proponents rightly remind us, makes for variety and convenience; it does not force anything upon you. Only it turns out it doesn’t feel like that at all. We don’t feel as if we had freely chosen our online practices. We feel instead that they are habits we have helplessly picked up or that history has enforced, that we are not distributing our attention as we intend or even like to”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas G. 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