How the Internet is Changing Your Brain? Essay

Introduction

One of the most evident things that can be observed nowadays is that the Internet has a considerable impact on people, the development of relations, the ways of how information is exchanged, etc. However, people are not always sure if the Internet has enough powers to change the way of how a human brain works. For example, the BBC’s author, Tom Stafford admits that everything can change the brain, and the Internet rewiring it as well.¹

Many researchers want to find out if the Internet has a negative or positive impact on the brain, some people are eager to share their opinions, and writers try to gather as many interesting points of view as possible and introduce a clear picture.

The current achievements in the sphere of science and psychology show that the Internet influences people’s way of thinking, understanding information, and even the possibility to store information for a long period of time: people become more forgetful but can generate information better, lose the required portion of concentration but have high IQ results.

The current paper aims at discussing these controversies not to identify the quality of impact the Internet may have on the human brain but to understand how the Internet can influence people and their abilities to survive in a new technologically developed world.

Why People Use the Internet

Before asking the question about how the Internet can influence the brain, it is necessary to identify why people continue using it even if they know or, at least, guess about some threats. One of the goals people want to achieve is to get more time for living and deprive themselves of the necessity to do simple things like making notes, writing letters, searching for information at libraries, etc.

The Internet is a good chance to store and share information, search for the facts and answers in a short period of time, and observe the changes that take place globally. The Internet provides people with an opportunity to practice certain things the same way TV or reading does. People want to know more, that is why they try to use different options to achieve their goal.

The Internet cannot be regarded by people as a threat. It is a helpful tool that should be used. However, it is enough to deprive people of the Internet for a certain period of time to observe how dependent people and their actions on the Internet are. It means that human brain, as well as a person, depends on the Internet.

Challenges between the Internet and People

One of the most provocative things is the impossibility to feel the condition of the human brain. The brain that is packed neatly in the skull (that is a symbolic bone-crate) cannot send a sensory signal to a person.²

It is hard to realise if the brain can feel changes and demonstrate the appropriate reactions. At the same time, people know a lot about the effects brain has on a human organism. That is why the reactions that can be observed in a person can serve as the explanation of the changes that can happen in the brain.

For example, the observations show that people start forgetting more using the opportunities of the Internet.³ The human brain does not find it necessary to remember information. It is evident that people do not want to remember as much information as possible if they know that they can use the Internet and find the required piece in a short period of time.

Long-term memory of people who do not use the Internet from their childhood may be not under threat. However, if the first memories are connected to the Internet, it is possible that not only short-term memory can be under threat.⁴

At the same time, the Internet itself does not make people use it. People themselves make decisions and invite the Internet to their lives. Is it possible that the human brain creates something that can damage it? Gregoire, Stafford, and Harris say “Yes” in their articles. They rely on the works of successful scientists and researchers to prove that the Internet does change the human brain, but these changes turn out to be abstract.

To Support or Disregard the Internet

It is stated that the Internet continues supporting the ideas of innovations, opportunities, and growth in different spheres of life.⁵ It means that no terrible impacts of the Internet on the human brain can be observed. Still, it is impossible to neglect the fact that the Internet continues promoting changes, and people need to know the nature of such changes.

The Internet is the source of mixed information: people can enter Facebook, listen to the music, watch pictures, and communicate. The brain has to be ready to be adapted to different sources of information and perceive it at the necessary level.⁶

That is why it is hard to pay full attention to all tasks complete only. The Internet is also the possibility to use Google and find any kind of information. Current students should not waste their brains memorising different historical facts and dates. They can use Google and find the necessary answer quickly. It means that the Internet helps to facilitate the work of brain and does not overload it.

The list of the chosen topic’s contradictions is far from over. On the one hand, the Internet helps the brain to search information and understand the worth of abstract information. On the other hand, the possibility to use the Internet substitutes any other types of work (e.g. visiting libraries and reading the books, visiting museums and observing the historical artifacts, etc.). People lose the connection between what is material and what is abstract and make themselves weak in regards to the necessity to use evidence to prove their points of view.⁷

Finally, from a purely observational point of view, it is possible to suggest that the use of the Internet reduces the necessity of physical activities. People do not need to walk and search for answers. People may not even leave their beds and earn money.

At the same time, the human brain works perfectly. It means that the brain can be better trained with the help of the Internet at the expense of the body activities. The only parts of a human body that can move are the eyes and hands.⁸

Conclusion

In general, the Internet may positively influence the human brain and the possibility to comprehend and evaluate information. Still, people should understand that their brain cannot exist for a long time if the body gets worse. That is why the Internet should not be used as an absolute substitution of various physical activities and changes. The Internet is just a source of information created by and for people.

Reference List

Carr, N 2010, The Shallows: how the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember, Atlantic Books, London.

Easton, T 2011, Taking sides: clashing views in science, technology and society, McGraw Hill, Dubuque, Iowa.

Gregoire, C 2015, ‘The internet may be changing your brain in ways you’ve never imagined”, Huffpost, Web.

Harris, J 2010, ‘How the internet is altering your mind”, The Guardian, Web.

Stafford, T 2012 ‘Does the internet rewire your brain?’ BBC, Web.

Footnotes

1. Tom Stafford, 2012 “Does the internet rewire your brain?” BBC. Web.
2. Nicolas Carr, 2010, The Shallows: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember, London: Atlantic Books, 23.
3. Carolyn Gregoire, 2015, “The internet may be changing your brain in ways you’ve never imagined”, Huffpost. Web.
4. John Harris, 2010, “How the internet is altering your mind”, The Guardian, Web.
5. Tomas Easton, 2011, Taking sides: clashing views in science, technology and society, Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw Hill, 46.
6. Carolyn Gregoire, 2015, “The internet may be changing your brain in ways you’ve never imagined”, Huffpost, Web.
7. Tom Stafford, 2012 “Does the internet rewire your brain?” BBC. Web.
8. Nicolas Carr, 2010, The Shallows: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember, London: Atlantic Books, 93.