Rewiring Humanity

REWIRING HUMANITY

Just imagine what life would be like without the internet. Some of us actually remember the time before everything was connected, but now the thought of living without smartphones, maps, and search engines at our fingertips seems completely alien. So, how is our increasing reliance on the online world affecting us? Our relationships, sources of information, and ways of interacting with each other are rapidly changing, with noticeable effects occurring within our brains.

With more and more devices relying on the internet, it's no surprise that worldwide access is continually increasing. In 2016, an estimated 3.5 billion people accessed online services globally. The top three countries were China with 721 million users, followed by India, and then the US with 290 million users. The most common language used online is English, followed by Chinese and Spanish.

The reliance on the Internet varies across generations, depending on whether they had to adapt to the new technology or grew up with it readily accessible. Generation X users, born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, logged an average of 110 minutes of mobile internet usage each day. Millennials, born from the early 1980s onward and who grew up with the internet, logged an average of 185 minutes per day. Social media and messaging apps have become crucial to how we live and communicate, with more than a billion people regularly using apps like WhatsApp and even more using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

With increasing use of internet services, our behavior is changing as well. Communication through these platforms is more common, leading to a decline in phone calls and text messages. The rise of online shopping and services has caused a sharp decline in the use of traditional high street stores. Our towns and cities are starting to look very different from a few decades ago, and this can all be attributed to what's now available online.

So, how is all this affecting our brains? With such a wealth of information at our fingertips, the prevalence of the internet is changing the way we work. Millennials, for example, have been found to be far more forgetful than previous generations. This is thought to be a direct result of the constant distractions that connectivity brings. The basic principle behind memory is that the more a piece of information is repeated and thought about in your short-term memory, the stronger it is stored within your long-term memory. However, constant new information prevents this process from taking place as effectively, and far less is permanently stored.

Furthermore, the knowledge that information is readily available online means that you're less likely to form a memory of it. While previous generations would have memorized directions on a map, now there's a reliance on accessing GPS apps on your phone. We're also becoming more addicted to our smartphones, constantly glancing to check for messages or updates. This habit of distraction makes it harder for our brains to transition into deeper modes of thinking when needed. Some research has shown that the constant flow of information has led to a loss of cognitive control. This means not only is our ability to control our minds reducing, but also our ability to decide what we're thinking about. The more you rely on your phone and apps to provide information, the less you can determine what's important to focus on. We are increasingly more concerned with new information rather than what's actually important.

So, what can be done? Although technology is clearly affecting the way our brains work, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Throughout history, inventions have enabled us to focus less on one thing so our time can be used elsewhere. For example, washing machines mean people spend far less time cleaning clothes, allowing extra hours each day for work or other activities. Similarly, the ability to communicate and find information much faster on the internet gives us extra mental capacity for other processes.

Still, reducing our screen time can help keep our brains more active and malleable. It's a good idea to be aware of how much time you're spending on distractions each day. So, my advice is to keep track of your online time and unplug every once in a while.