I have been thinking about the impact of the internet on the way our brains work for a while now. As an educator, I understand the power of the internet and its ability to provide unparalleled opportunities. But I also see the Internet as a distraction machine. And as a recently turned father, I am thinking even more and more about the impacts of the internet on our behaviors. For this, I turned to The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr.
Carr does a brilliant job of synthesizing research on the brain and cognitive functions to create a simple yet compelling argument. The brain is characterized by neuroplasticity, which is the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to experiences. Our experiences of using the internet are not yet completely understood and we do not know where society will end up, considering the long term. But one thing is clear. The internet is restructuring how our brain works. This is Carr’s argument, in a nutshell.
It is crucial that we start to have a conversation around internet use. At the microlevel, teachers, students and parents must openly discuss the use of the internet, and the different forms in which it manifests itself, such as social media. At the macro level, governments, businesses and social leaders also need to play a part to control the use of the internet in a way that it does not spiral out of control. I highly recommend reading The Shallows to get the conversation going!
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