How Digitization Affects The Brain

The human brain has nearly 100 billion neurons that communicate with each other at high speed. However, since digitalization has invaded our lives, people have begun to wonder how it affects the brain and whether it may lose some of its capabilities.

The brain has incredible plasticity and adaptability, which means that it adapts to the environment to optimize resources. In other words, if digitization means that the brain no longer needs to be responsible for certain processes, it may compensate by improving other abilities.

Researchers have already begun to address this issue. In fact, they have been able to identify some changes the brain may experience, especially in the adolescent population.

Digitization and cognitive abilities

In a relatively short time, there have been many technological advances. This has obviously changed the way we behave. Now we have different habits and do tasks differently. The way we communicate with each other and gain access to information has changed and will continue to change.

According to Gary Small, a neuroscientist at the University of California , Los Angeles (UCLA), your brain changes using technology. Researchers have seen that some neural networks become stronger, while others become weaker. Although this is a natural process in the human brain, Small says that certain structures or specific circuits change. An example is the brain circuits of attention.

We spend a lot of time on smartphones, tablets and computers. Sometimes we use several devices at the same time. Multitasking is a cognitive skill that allows you to be aware of several tasks simultaneously. However, research shows that the brain can only be fully aware of two things.

Thus, the prefrontal cortex divides its resources to perform them, when the brain focuses on two tasks. However, if you try to do more than two tasks at a time, you will have trouble filtering information. You will also focus on things that are not related to the task, and have difficulty switching back and forth between tasks.

In addition, all of these technological advances affect your ability to retain information because you can look up the answer to any question at any time. That said, researchers also suspect that multitasking improves the brain’s ability to make decisions because your senses are sharpened and the digital world encourages speed. It also improves the information processing speed.

Digitization and the evolving brain

The effect of digitization on children’s brains is important. Unlike the adults of our time, they have never known an analog world. They were born into this technology-centric society. Children born after the year 2000 are in fact considered “digital natives”.

This means that they have always been surrounded by technology. Therefore, they spontaneously and naturally develop a distinct way of thinking and understanding the world.

These digital generations develop digital capabilities as they grow. Not just because of its environment. The way the adults around them facilitate their interaction with the digital world also plays a key role. An example is parents who give their young children their mobile phones or tablets to entertain them. This may seem like harmless behavior, but it can adversely affect children’s development.

On the one hand, it encourages a more sedentary lifestyle, which can actually trigger physical changes in the brain. Lack of physical activity can lead to deterioration of nerve fibers and trigger poor cognitive performance. Researchers have also seen that overexposure to technology can have a significant impact on language development. It can even increase cortisol levels, which is harmful to the brain.

Will our brain turn into porridge?

As we mentioned above, the brain is incredibly good at responding to the environment. Part of that adaptation is to manage without neural networks that it no longer needs or uses. As the world becomes increasingly digitalized, some networks will cease to be necessary and eventually break down. This is what researchers call the “paradox of progress”.

Contrary to many people’s beliefs, this is not a bad thing at all. This is because the ever-changing brain will use the newly available resources to hone other skills. For example, you may not need to remember specific information anymore, because you can look it up on your phone at any time. However, you must remember where you access the information.

In conclusion, digitization is definitely changing the brain. Therefore, it also changes how you perceive and treat the world.