busyScientists Fear Technology May Be Rewiring Our Brains
When the brain spends more time on technology-related tasks and less time exposed to other people, it drifts away from fundamental social skills like reading facial expressions during conversation, Small asserts.
So brain circuits involved in face-to-face contact can become weaker, he suggests. That may lead to social awkwardness, an inability to interpret nonverbal messages, isolation and less interest in traditional classroom learning.
... this really sounds like the anti-bookworm propaganda some teachers heaped on me when I was younger, because I preferred the company of books to that of the banal little beasts they called my classmates. And while I've got some nearby friends, frankly I prefer the company of online folks to most of the locals, because the Midwest is not exactly a hotbed of culture and brilliance. The scientists may have a point in there somewhere, but if they want to sell it to intellectuals, boy howdy they'd better find a better way to phrase it.
December 10 2008, 10:32:41 UTC 12 years ago
As for the social interaction side, for me the people I meet online are just as real as the ones I meet in person. It's harder to have a cup of tea together, but all the other interaction stuff hasn't gone away.
'Less interest in traditional classroom learning' is, IMHO, a different problem - people are used to soundbites and videoclips. When Max Headroom first came on TV, the quick cuts were a novelty -now most feature films will do the same. Concentrating for twenty minutes at a stretch is something that needs to be learnt; but you cannot blame the technology for it.
December 10 2008, 14:35:43 UTC 12 years ago Edited: December 10 2008, 14:42:58 UTC
I was about to say this, but you said it far better. *nods*
This does sound just like the anti-book propaganda I was also subjected to. What will they say next, that too much Internet shrinks the gonads, like they used to in Victorian times?
OTOH, I should try to find the study and evaluate its methodology for myself before I snark too much about it. But it does seem to me that its logic might rely on an appeal to nature; because we change as our technology changes, and thus are not the same as our previous 'natural' state, doesn't necessarily mean the change is deleterious.