The Internet and the Mind

Today’s generations are so enthralled with any sort of technology, and these technologies have ultimately come from the most influential, the Internet. “The Internet was seen as just another medium, a delivery system, not a diabolical machine. It made people happier and more productive” (Dokoupil, 2012). This was the opinion of most people worldwide. The scientific affects on the minds of billions of people and the physical and mental changes that prove these affects give us reasons to fear the Internet and the technology that comes with it.

The brain, as discovered by the British biologist J. Z. Young, “might in fact be in a constant state of flux, adapting to whatever task it’s called on to perform” (Carr, 2010). With our brains always changing, anything could cause them to develop new reactions. “Hours spent with today’s digital technology and on the Internet are bound to result in a shirt in neural processing” (Horstman, 2010). These reactions can lead to mental disorders like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, tinnitus and even ADHD (Carr, 2010). We are able to associate these disorders with the Internet, or technology, because the same repeated actions done on the Internet cause these the types of reactions that these disorders show. Peter Whybrow suggests, “the computer is like electronic cocaine” (Dokoupil, 2012). Suggesting that the Internet is addictive; “many addictions, too, are reinforced by the strengthening of plastic pathways in the brain” (Carr, 2010). So like the use of drugs, we are becoming addicted to the Internet and all of our gadgets? That is a scary thought, because for substance abuse we can go to rehab and get real help, but there is no technology rehab center. 

But it can't all be bad right? The Internet has clearly helped our society in developing programs, jobs, increase in test scores, create other technologies that we never knew we could have. Technology is something that I, along with my generation and the generations after mine, have become dependent upon. However, this does not mean that we are going to become victims of major brain alterations. Yes, we use technology too much, but it is not too late to realize the affects it is having on our minds. People need to understand when to use technology. Work environments, school environments and various forms of entertainment need to be limited. Our brains need to rest from the over usage of technology; we all need breaks from work or school, our brains too need breaks. Technology has come very far and has given us so much, so why are we trying to make technology sound so horrible?  If all it takes is for us to cut back on the hours spent online or glued to our phones, then why can’t we back off the technology and use it when needed and prove how great and helpful it really can be?

Works Cited

Carr, N. (2010). What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains: The Shallows. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Dokoupil, T. (2012). IS THE ONSLAUGHT MAKING US CRAZY? (Cover story). Newsweek, 160(3), 24-30.

Dretzin, R. (2010). Digital Nation (Documentary). United States: PBS.

Horstman, J. (2010). Scientific American: Brave New Brain. San Francisco: Wiley.