Users urged to know pitfalls and benefits of Internet

Users of the Internet and social networking services should pay attention to their bright and dark sides amid a flurry of incidents that call for the reassessment of unquestioned enthusiasm for technology, speakers at a technology forum here said Thursday. Nicholas Carr urged audiences to be aware of how the constant stream of information and inundation of data, often seen as a boon and new opportunities to many businesses and startups, are changing the way people think. The author of "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains" argued that the Web is making human brains constantly crave information and putting the ability for attentive, meditative and creative thinking at risk.