Gary Small, a neuroscientist at UCLA in California who specializes in brain function, has found through studies that Internet searching and text messaging has made brains more adept at filtering information and making snap decisions. Small also said a study of 24 adults as they used the Web found that experienced Internet users showed double the activity in areas of the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning as Internet beginners.
But while technology can accelerate learning and boost creativity it can have drawbacks as it can create Internet addicts whose only friends are virtual and has sparked a dramatic rise in Attention Deficit Disorder diagnoses. According to Small, the tech-savvy generation, whom he calls "digital natives," are always scanning for the next bit of new information which can create stress and even damage neural networks. Small said this multi-tasking could cause problems. There is also the big problem of neglecting human contact skills and losing the ability to read emotional expressions and body language.
So, it is clear that, the people in the next generation who are really going to have the edge are the ones who master the technological skills and also face-to-face skills. They will know when the best response to an email or Instant Message is to talk rather than sit and continue to email.
Overall, people have to find a way to blance between virtual life and real life to be successful. Only having technological skills with no communication skill or vice-versa is no longer enough to live a successful life.
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4 comments:
This research makes a good point. While searching the internet, the brain is always working as it sorts through the sites and searches for the desired information.
This research seems to reveal the same effect video games has had on the younger generation. While video games improve hand-eye coordination and awareness, they also develop an addiction. Both video games and internet addictions do produce a lack of social interaction. This lack social interaction is harmful to young people as they grow older and move into the business world.
It appears this is another cost/benefit scenario involved with technology. The benefits appear great with the increased brain functions and brain exercise, however one must always being aware of the side-effects. In the case of searching the internet and text-messaging, the benefit out-weighs the side-effects and the effects can be avoided.
Group 1
Today, the internet has changed the way so many people work or operates. The proliferation of the World Wide Web has allowed people to be more accessible to information and to communicate more efficiently with others. The use of the internet is no longer limited to sending and receiving electronic messages as it was first in its beginning. Now, almost everybody knows how to navigate on the internet and get what they are looking for. The internet is just another technological advance that helped and is still helping lots of people to communicate, do business or just learn and increase their knowledge. Definitely, the internet gives the user an advantage. Users are more exposed to information or opportunities to learn something new. They are also more able to filter information and go in the right direction while searching for something than those who rarely navigate or don't at all.
Now to say that internet makes people smarter is still a problematic question. We think that the use of the internet when we know what we are looking for and where we are going is very helpful. Internet when use properly can make somebody more efficient in whatever he/she is doing. For a business person, designing an attractive website that brings up his services or products will certainly increase sales and profits. For a normal individual who just want to communicate with others, a good use of the internet can make him interact with the people he/she want to while saving time. But do all these things actually make the user smarter? Yes, but not necessarily
Unfortunately, some problems come along with the heavy use of the internet. Some savvy users may be at risk of developing behavioral disorders such as ADD or certain types of internet addictions. Moreover, some users can get lost in the convenience that the internet technology offers them, and forget traditional ways of communication and doing things, and this can be a negative point.
It is all about being smart and rational when it comes to the use of the internet. A person who thinks that everything is accessible with the power of the internet and don't do any effort outside of that, is certainly not being smart and rational.
The growth in the capabilities the internet holds and the options to which we can use it for has been huge over the last decade. Internet, text messaging, e-mail, blogging all are common assets to our current generation. It is not surprising that using such technology can increase the knowledge or brain activity in a person, but to go as far as saying such people are also at risk for being basic social outcasts seems a little extreme.
Yes the internet is eliminating much face to face contact due to e-mail capabilities, and even e-commerce. But there is still much of our society that requires us to have social skills. I think it is imperative in business ethics to have a balance between using such technology and still relying on relationships and face-to-face contact. But it is not apparent that we are raising a bunch of unsocial, computer geeks, just because of the level of internet being used by the upcoming generation. It is obvious that this technology is helping the minds of the young and the old and I think that is a positive stance to take on it!
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This is very similar to the previous blog and the response we have still remains unchanged. A healthy balance of all of these things is key. This is the truth in most things in life.
When it comes to using the internet and text messaging it is a cool thing that there have been results showing higher brain activity. However, there must be a balance between virtual communication and real life interaction and communication with people face to face. A computer does not have a face or feelings and emotions and this is what is really important to be able to understand and comprehend in life and in business. This is what builds successful relationships is being able to understand one another and have conversations. The internet and phones are great and convenient, but we need to realize that they are for convenience and we need to be able to interact with one another face to face.
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