It's Official: Information Technology Makes Us Dumb.
The New York Times continues its crusade / jihad / words of warning about our new digital culture in yet another series kicking off in today's paper, penned by the inexhaustable Matt Richtel. Actually, Mr. Richtel did some promotional media appearances before today's story, notably an appearance on Fresh Air. (Highly recommended.)
We have crossed the Rubicon between accumulated anecdotal evidence and into the land of science. Observe:
“Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it’s had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories,” said Loren Frank, assistant professor in the department of physiology at the university, where he specializes in learning and memory. He said he believed that when the brain was constantly stimulated, “you prevent this learning process.” [more]
I've noticed this line of reporter before and will continue to track it as I have a very deep, lifelong and generational interest. Furthermore, the idea strikes me as completely correct and valid based on my own personal experience. I recently participated in an unplanned separate from my devices and I re-discovered something important in my life: reading books. Now, some of you who know me might find that to be a rather bizarre comment as I've spent my life surrounded by and immersed in books. But, for about the past year, I've had difficulty sustaining my attention long enough to blaze through a book as I did in days gone by. Well, this cherished skill has returned, and I plan on keeping it this time.
Please listen to Mr. Richtel on Fresh Air and decide for yourself.
By the way, this meme is creeping into popular culture too. I've been enjoying the new AMC series, Rubicon and it's all about intelligence analysts. Now, one might guess that, in the 21stC, this work would be done on hydra-headed computers connected to multiple DS3 feeds. Wrong. Aside from the occasional conversation with a computer technician who's literally locked in a cage as if he's a feral animal, all the real work is done on pads of paper and pencils.