Dangerous Evolution: How Technology Robs Us of Our Brains
Our world is quickly moving toward a future where we will lose our ability to think for ourselves, and therefore lose our brains as well.
Circuitry Rewiring, and You
While some might argue that connection to technology will improve our lives, Nicholas Carr, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and best selling author, speaks out against it. He argues that by becoming dependent on it, we become a part of the technology we use. Technology replaces our need to think for ourselves, and we lose valuable skills in the process.
Through years of use, we slowly change our brains and the way we think. We create new neural paths in our brains that are wired for quick thinking rather than deep thought. More now than ever, people become impatient in short amounts of time and can’t focus on detailed tasks.
Constant connection rewires our brains and changes the way we interact with the world.
Lowered Performance: The New Norm
As a society we have devalued and removed the need for deep thought and reflection. Even in academics, few students read whole textbooks any more. People who are considered the intellectually elite in our nation are incapable of sitting through a required text.
Even at a lower level, kids are being diagnosed with ADHD in higher numbers than ever. Some believe excessive use of technology may “[erode] a child’s ability to focus attentively when [they are] back in the ho-hum, real-time world.” (Alderman)
Pamela Lund: Mindset of Positivity
Some, such as Pamela Lund, author of Massively Networked, argue that this connection will allow us to improve society. Through an inter-connected society we can improve medical help, social interaction, and even the way that we impact the environment. She argues that in order for society to move forward, we must embrace change and use it to our advantage.
Reality Kicks In
While Lund takes a positive look at the future of technology, she fails to discuss its impact on our thinking. Gone are the days when people memorized information and called each other on the phone. We have a strong reliance on our technology that blinds us, and can potentially put us in danger.
We have become socially inept, and hide behind the screens of our computers and phones when dealing with the world. We assume that technology will save us in times of crisis and confusion; yet these assumptions require the use of internet access and a battery charge.
False Security: Technology Drawbacks
Teenagers are traditionally seen as the age group of stupidity, due to their lack of life experience. Yet if you were to ask an adult which numbered exit on the highway would bring you back to the other side, standard teaching in driver’s ed class, most wouldn’t know the answer. Neither would the teens.
GPS has replaced our need for simple directional knowledge, and most people rely on it. We fail to memorize directions, and have difficulty finding new destinations. We flounder without our technology.
Even things like safety are taken for granted. We look things up on our phone when we don’t know what to do, or we ask someone who knows. What about Hydroplaning? Slipping on ice? Try googling that before you hit the guard rail.
Dangerous Paths: What We’re Losing
Society has devalued the need to remember important information. Our phones are our source of information nowadays, not our brains. We have become a part of our machines by using our technology, and we forgo our ability to survive on our own. New generations believe that their way of life is superior, but society is forgetting the value of old ways of living.
Today’s society would flounder without its new brain; one that can easily be taken away. Therein lies the danger of relying on an outside source of information. Times of crisis and times without access to power quickly cripple those who rely too heavily on technology.
By letting machines take hold of the work our brains are meant to do, we lose not only our skills, but our identities as well. As we move forward in time, we lose the skills that have gotten us to this point. Without those skills we become dumb, and move backward rather than forward.
Works Cited
Alderman, Lesley. "Does Technology Cause ADHD?" EverydayHealth.com. Ed. Kevin O. Hwang. Everyday Health Media LLC, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. Mar. 2015. Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.
Lund, Pamela. Massively Networked: How the Convergence of Social Media and Technology Is Changing Your Llife. San Francisco: PLI Media, 2011. Print.
