The Internet – is it Changing our Brains?

An article on the BBC website yesterday “Internet may be Changing Brains” made for interesting reading.

The article says that a study published in the “Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences Journal” shows that social network sites may be changing people’s brains and social lives.

It is still early days so it is not exactly clear what this all means although it is exciting times for researchers involved.  This study will allow further research to continue to pose scientific and well-designed investigations to explore the brain and whether it adapts to social network sites.

There is no doubt that the Internet is impacting on our lives.  The way we communicate is so much different to what it was 15 years ago.  Everyone is reachable regardless of where they are.  We do things differently because of new technology.  We live in a society where everything is at our fingertips and we want everything now.  It is not surprising that research is emerging which shows that our brains may be changing.

What do people think? Have you noticed any changes in the way you think, research or write?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

For those who want to find out more, there is a great book by American writer Nicholas Carr “The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember”.  Worth the read if you are interested in Carr’s claim that the Internet is not only shaping our lives but also physically altering our brains.

Tags: Internet • Research • social Media