Is Technology Altering Our Brains?
Technology, though a fairly new innovation, is just like anything else that has come out of human invention in terms of its ability to change and alter our thinking. As a species, we were born to be adaptable to our surroundings, so if our brains didn't "alter" as a result of using technology, I would be worried about our capacity for learning. However, I'm not sure that the tool itself defines and shapes our thinking. Humans have relied on each other for years to learn new things. We teach each other through storytelling, visuals, literature, and a variety of other ways. Technology is just one more way for us to engage in these ways of learning with each other. An argument posed by a colleague recently talked about the fact that technology, especially social media, is changing the way that we interact with each other which is what is "rewiring our brains"...but is it really? Before the internet, we still read stories from each other in a book; before Facebook, we still shared photo albums with relatives; before Reddit, we still engaged with the news on TV, in newspapers, and with each other; before texting, we still conversed with each other on the phone and in person. The only real difference is that social media and tech have now given us the ability to do all of these things that we've always done but now on a more global scale daily.
I believe that instead of an altering of our brains, it's really an altering of our habits and how much screen stimulus we are becoming exposed to on a daily basis. Some people question whether or not we will be able to keep up with the curve on Moore's Law, and personally I think we will be able to in terms of exposure. But I'm curious to know, what do you think? Post your comments below.