Technology and the Brain

[ysabetwordsmith]

I found this article interesting, but I have mixed feelings. I can understand a certain amount of concern about too much exposure to technology, but ...

Scientists 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

Comments

[green_knight]

We're still explosed to a lot of facial expressions and body language - our culture has become immensely visual, and with more and more people - thanks to Youtube - watching at least clips in languages they do not speak, I really don't see this as a skill that can be lost any time soon. Thoroughout the history of humanity, a lot of people used to work lonely jobs, or jobs where they'd only see the same people over and over again, wherewas we have to go out and interact with strangers every time we go to the shop, and we have to negotiate with them in customer-oriented positions,of which there are many

[browngirl]

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.

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.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Also consider the type of body language a person is exposed to. If you're surrounded by people who dislike you, that's not going to yield much positive interaction: mostly what you learn is which facial expressions go with insults and incipient violence. That's useful for survival, but I think that safe solitude is preferable to unsafe socializing. Interestingly, suicide statistics point both ways: many people commit suicide because they are tormented to death, and many do it out of sheer loneliness.

In terms of social interaction, I find it often easier and more rewarding online than in person. I'd like to have close relationships close by, but it isn't always possible. It took years to build a local community year, and it's a massive amount of work. The people who are most important in my life mostly live several states away, with the exception of a few family members and a few local friends. The net's how I keep in touch with most of them

Re: Thoughts

[green_knight]

As someone who was bullied in school, I have to admit that I learnt very little social skills in that environment - people did not want to socialise with me. (I moved up a year, and not only did I find it easier to relate to people in my new year, the rest of the school realised that my old year was pretty antisocial. Hey ho, it wasn't my fault after all.

But I was thinking about how many people in the history of humanity have been isolated to lesser or greater degrees, and I think that if anything, we have *more* social contacts than humanity has ever had. We certainly see a greater range of faces and behaviours; and for the most part, we're able to learn how to relate to them.

Online allows us to seek out the kinds of people we want to relate to. I love it.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> But I was thinking about how many people in the history of humanity have been isolated to lesser or greater degrees, and I think that if anything, we have *more* social contacts than humanity has ever had. We certainly see a greater range of faces and behaviours; and for the most part, we're able to learn how to relate to them. ... )