Internet Makes Us Stupid

Life in the past two decades has changed dramatically due to the use of the Internet, and technology intrusion into our lives in an unstoppable way, and the Internet has been the technology that has the most impact on behaviour, lifestyle, thinking mechanism and research methods.

Opinions differed about the benefit of this technology on the one hand, and the damage it causes on the other. While one expert believes that the Internet contributes to ridding the human brain of past memories, as he lives with this network for a constantly present time, other researchers believe that the Internet weakens the skill of attention. It reduces opportunities for contemplation, causes inability to think deeply, leads to fragmented and scattered patterns of thinking and blurs the mind. In this article, we will explain both the harms and benefits, according to researchers' studies.

A study: Internet impairs human brain and memory capabilities

Despite all the benefits in favour of faster access to information, excessive use of the Internet can result in health damage that may destroy the structure of our brain, and experts warn of the large amount of information that modern technology provides to our health.

If you spend a lot of time using the Internet, it has a negative effect on your brain, as one recent study concluded that excessive use of the Internet changes the way our brain works, so that memory becomes weak and focus decreases.

The results of this study, which was carried out in partnership between Western University in Sydney, Harvard University, Imperial College in London, Oxford University and the University of Manchester, were published in the Journal of International Psychiatry, according to the German website “Heal Praxis.net”.

The researchers concluded that the Internet changes the structure and capabilities of the human mind, as it can cause chronic and acute changes in certain areas of cognition, which is reflected in our concentration, memory and social interaction, according to the authors of this study.

The results of the study also showed that excessive use of the Internet affects many brain functions. For example, the large flow of invitations and notifications issued by Internet use leads to constantly distracting us, and this weakens our ability to focus on one thing, as explained by Dr. Joseph Firth of Western University Sydney in a press release.

Dr. Jerome Sarris, one of the researchers involved in the study, said: “The electronic world may have far-reaching consequences representing a set of concerns, as this world has the potential to alter both the structure and functioning of the brain while also changing our social fabric.”

According to this study, the harm of Internet use is not limited to adults only, but includes children as well. Its supervisors warned against children neglecting activities necessary for their development, such as social relationships and movement, and their preoccupation with smart devices most of the time.

Digital addiction is a mental disorder

“Recently many doctors have linked depression, anxiety and dissatisfaction with body shape to the overuse of digital devices and technologies, and they are diagnosing digital addiction as a mental disorder,”

says Shimmy Kang, a Canadian psychologist who specialises in the impact of addiction on the mental health of children and adolescents. .

However, digital devices and technologies, like foods, are beneficial and some are harmful. If we want to avoid its harms and reap its benefits, we must first understand how these devices affect our brains.

How smart devices affect our brains?

Kang says that the brain interacts with electronic devices in a similar way to metabolism, as it works by releasing different types of neurochemicals - that is, chemicals that activate the nervous system - in our bodies, which are:

• Serotonin: produced when we are creative or when we feel we are making a positive contribution to society.
• Endorphins: The body’s natural “pain reliever,” which is released when we exercise and meditate.
• Oxytocin: The body produces this hormone when emotionally interacting with others in positive social relationships.
• Dopamine: a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and immediate reward, as well as addiction. Digital technologies and devices are designed to specifically stimulate the release of dopamine.

However, not all digital technologies and devices are the same. Rather, it is our use of technological devices that determines the extent to which we benefit or are harmed by them. This means that the damage mentioned in the studies occurs when excessive use of the Internet is not studied in terms of the length of time, or the types of applications we work on.

Good and Bad Digital Technologies

Kang says that digital health devices and technologies are devices that stimulate the brain to release serotonin, endorphins or oxytocin.

Meditation apps, creative apps, and communication apps that help us make social connections are just examples of healthy technologies.

But if you increase the dose of dopamine, which plays a role in the formation of new habits, you may enter a cycle of danger that may lead to addiction.

She adds: “This app may not be classified as a useless app, such as the game ‘Candy Crush’, which the brain only reacts to by releasing dopamine, but you have to be careful and set yourself a time limit when using it.”

On the other hand, Kang argues, there are low-quality and useless techniques that we can use to harm ourselves only. Kang likens it to foods with low nutritional value that some people eat to calm their negative feelings, such as when we are under psychological pressure.

“What we fear is harmful or offensive material on the Internet that may activate the brain’s pleasure and reward centres, such as porn, cyberbullying, betting or addictive coin-style video games,” she says.

Similar to diet, Kang says moderation in the use of digital devices and technologies requires staying away from harmful substances when using the Internet. But it is okay to violate some rules from time to time.

Doctors advise, for example, to stay away from processed foods and drinks high in sugar, but it's okay to eat pizza and popcorn with the kids on the eve of the weekend.

Likewise, it's okay to browse your Instagram account or play video games on short breaks.

But if you have diabetes, the amount of sugar your doctors will allow you to eat will be less. The same goes for digital technologies if you are at risk of addiction.

Kang says that adolescents are more susceptible than others to digital addiction, and scientific research has revealed to us that children and adolescents are more likely to encounter problems when using the Internet.

Get rid of digital detox every now and then:

In light of the continuous expansion of the Internet and the increase in its user base and the spread of smart phones all over the world, it seems that some reject the dominance of technology in our lives.

A report prepared by Global Web Index stated that seven out of 10 Internet users in the United Kingdom and the United States tried to moderate the use of electronic devices; Some of them reported that they closed their social media accounts and deleted some applications from their phones, while others reported that they were spending far less time online.

Kang says our use of electronic devices should not overshadow our other basic human needs.

She adds: “We need to sleep eight or nine hours a day, we also need to devote two or three hours to physical activities, and we need to be outdoors and be exposed to natural light. If your use of electronic devices causes you to neglect your other basic activities, that is an overuse of technology.”

The Digital Generation: Real Transformers Await the Future

The development of the media and the presence of the Internet at its head led to a revolution in the “information flow.” The Internet brought about radical changes in almost all means of communication; Whoever has an Internet connection can speak and create content to share and exchange information and ideas freely, and thus the rates of innovation and development have increased all over the world, and on the other hand, the flow of information has affected the pattern of thinking, the way the brain works, and its treatment of life and cognitive issues in general.

One of the experts says: “Since the human brain is flexible and has the ability to reconfigure itself according to our daily activities, the use of the computer for long periods shows its effect through the rapid reaction to the visual stimuli that appear in front of our mental screen minute by minute, as well as improving the forms of alertness. Attention, in addition to developing the ability to scrutinise a huge amount of information, either increases one’s confidence in it or refutes it.”

Nicholas Carr is a writer who has written a book called Does the Internet Make Us Dumb? He said, based on scientific research, that modern technological tools are changing the work of our memory, attention, understanding and thinking. This change will result in a shift in the structure of our brains. Thus, the children of the digital age will be a model for this transformation (real transformers) that will appear later.

In his book, Nicholas Carr says that spending a lot of time surfing and using the Internet negatively affects the activity of the region next to the prefrontal cortex, which is where fine talents and the ability to pay attention and organised analysis reside.

On the other hand, the New York Times recently published that a team of neuroscientists at the University of California found that the search process via Google, which refutes what Nicholas Carr referred to in his book.

With conflicting opinions, is modern technology making us smarter or dumber?

It may seem to some that there is a conflict between studies dealing with the impact of modern technology (in particular, computers and the Internet) on the brain, but this conflict opens the door wide to the following question: Does technology make humans smarter or more stupid?

The answer to this question is not so easy because the answer is not related to the constant impact of technology on the brains of all human beings, but the question is about the extent to which technology is adapted to serve humans. It is important to understand how to enter the optimal learning spaces based on the information flow of the Internet, then we will inevitably become smarter than before, and those who are exposed to random information flow will inevitably become more stupid than before.