Humanity's Digital Evolution

A brain-scanning study at the University of California-Los Angeles showed that the repeated exposure to technology alters the brain’s circuitry, creating a gap between the younger digital native generation and the older digital immigrant generation. The brain is very malleable, able to be changed with the media it consumes. The result is that people’s brains are adapting to social networking and a multitasking culture (Small). Also, I can see this effect in my own experiences as a student. There are many times where, in order to properly study, I have to put my computer and smartphone completely out of sight; otherwise, they will be a distraction to what I need to really concentrate on.

What does the future hold? The first word that penetrates my mind is technology. Throughout the past century technology has evolved in so many ways. It has made interacting more efficient, school effortless, and medicine much more sophisticated. Moreover, tech has had a colossal impact on our world now. Unfortunately, with all the opportunities this innovation has given us, comes the side effects. Nowadays teens are so invested in the new, anonymous online world, that kids have become increasingly isolated. Many kids are so focused on how many “likes”, “followers”, or “snaps” they have, that the rest of the world is totally disregarded. Even the voracious hunger for learning has been lost with the progress of technology. The question one

We has humans don’t find certain things we do as multitasking but it actually is; we as humans use technology and other utilizations to get throughout day. For example, listening to music while jogging, watching TV while checking our emails, talking to a friend while driving or even texting while driving. Texting while driving reduced braking while driving by 35 %, which is worse than the effects of Marijuana and alcohol. Steering control while texting has reduced by 91% compared to a 35% reduction while under the influence or use of Marijuana. (Morris, Masito 2010)

The brain has it limits to the “cognitive load” that it can handle when multitasking. The brain then has trouble processing these multiple tasks accurately (Cain et al., 2016). A study of 74 participants from middle school and afterschool programs were given a Media Use Questionnaire that asked how often they were multitasking with primary media. The questionnaire asked how many hour per week they spent on electronic media use. At the end of the study, the participants reported being occupied by media for a great amount of time. The results of the study found that increased multitasking with social media is linked to poor performance in academics (Cain et al., 2016)

Multitasking is an action where one person can ultimately act on two tasks or more at once. In the article, “The Myth of Multitasking”, Nass summarizes that the cause of this issue is simply that the human brain slows the thought process of doing multiple tasks at once instead of one task at a time. This conflict is important because it poses potential risks to us in a mental or physical way. We should teach the younger generation this valuable information which will reduce the amount of problems that deal with multitasking in the future.

Multitasking affects the brain and is a serious problem. When someone is texting, or talking on the phone while studying or doing a paper, their brain cannot focus on both and the person could end up failing the test or getting a bad grade on their paper because the brain is trying to process information from studying or doing homework, and texting or talking on their phone. Students and even people think they can multitask but they cannot, it is not possible to focus on two or more tasks at a time without the brain forgetting some information, the brain needs time to process the information and to switch gears after each task. The brain can only focus on one task at a time. Multitasking is harmful for the brain and causes no creative thinking, prevented learning, short term memory, to not be able to focus on long tasks, and stress.

Recently, a nationally representative survey of distracted driving attitudes and behavior found that drivers under 25 are far more likely than older drivers to send text messages or emails while driving. Among 16-25 year old respondents, approximately 70% admitted to sending text messages or emails while driving compared to 14% of all respondents. And, while almost all drivers believe that sending text messages while driving is very unsafe, young passengers are more reluctant than older passengers to speak up if the driver is texting behind the wheel (Mayhew, 2013). A lot of scientific studies show that the human brain has trouble focusing on more than one thing at a time., but people stubbornly continue to do so and even believe that this shows we are exceptional individuals, and that we are fully capable of handling the stress of multitasking because we are all so important and indispensable. With this in mind, people really need to stop doing other tasks while

When employees feel bored they are inclined to look at their latest Instagram feed or Facebook post causing them to rush and lack focus. Constantly trying to be on the internet leads to poor communication with other coworkers and causes clients to feel unimportant and disrespected. In “Is Google making us stupid?” by Nicholas Carr of the Atlantic, Carr explains the effects of being addicted to the internet, claiming it makes him “fidgety” and “lacking focus”. Carr hopes readers realize how seeming anxious or rushing makes customers and other co workers feel like they are in the way and being unable to pay attention increases speculation on whether or not the job is being done at full potential. The way internet users behave online affects the way users act in real life, Carr mentions a study conducted by the University of London which shows how online users are more likely to skim a resource and not fully view all the detail, carr correlates the studies finding with behavior. Carr hopes to show how workers who skim and rush through reading an article are more likely to rush through a job, missing small details and increasing mistakes. The internet also exposes users to a variety of slang used in different parts of the world. Many employees may use slang at work with coworkers which can lead to miscommunication. For examples; being an EMT requires clear communication

Over our civilization’s history, there have been countless technological advancements that essentially changed our whole way of life. As we have grown and adapted to these changes, we believe to have also acquired the ability to juggle our time and multitask easily. What we don’t realize is that this multitasking isn’t enhancing our way of life, but teaching us to slightly focus on many different things. Too many times we find ourselves texting or streaming photos on our phone while having a conversation with someone, and by “conversation” I mean spacing out and replying meaningless and unresponsive answers out loud. If texting has the power to make us seem dull, lifeless and passive towards a mere conversation, then how are we supposed to be alert and attentive while driving when we can only seem to keep one hand on the wheel and the other on the send button? In order to ensure the safety of every individual on the road, every state within the US should make texting while driving illegal.

Studies conducted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that using a cell phone while driving significantly impairs a driver’s reaction time and triples the risk of being involved in a crash or near-crash, and text messaging increases crash risk by a multiple of 8 for all ages (NHTSA, 2009). Situational awareness is significantly decreased while engaging in distracted driving, and in turn inattention blindness is increased drastically creating a potentially deadly situation on the roads. A driver who is multitasking has less brain function available and thus literally fails to see or pay attention to things that are squarely in the field of vision (Texting and Driving, 2010). On the other hand there are those that may be able to multitask successfully though the challenge is

The article also talks about how multitasking affects others, not just the person doing thing multitasking. In paragraphs 20 and 21, Tugend mentions a study performed by the RAC Foundation where seventeen people between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four were asked to see how texting affects driving in a simulation. According to the research, texting and driving had more of an effect on response times that driving drunk or high. Driving while distracted, whether texting or picking a toy up for a child, is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.

Every 1 in 4 car accidents come from texting and driving. 42 percent is the number for identity theft. Limits the contact you make with the outside world. Some people like to stay inside and stay on the electronics and do that all day. Staying on the internet to long is bad for you and can mess with your eyes.

But, what researchers are finding, is that many of these cases can be linked to technology use. In fact, according to a study conducted by Canadian researchers, the average person’s attention span has fallen from 12 seconds to eight. (McSpadden). Another thing that has been seen is that this shortened attention span is a product of the busy and overall fast paced digital world that demands focus for many different things all at once. So in some ways, this shortened attention span is actually helpful. However, when these people who can easily switch from distraction to distraction in their casual life are forced into something that demands complete focus, they find it harder and get distracted much more easily. (Sutherly) And finally, the constant use of social media makes it easier for people to become distracted from even things they find interesting. “The truth is that I was on my laptop, clicking so often from e-book to Facebook that I couldn't stay with a story thread.” (Senator). Susan Senator, the author of the article that contained the quote, said she found that the constant lure of Facebook made her care less about the important things because she was focused on senseless things like Facebook likes instead of her book club or her son’s education. And cases like Senator’s are extremely common. People today are so wrapped up in focusing on everything that they can’t focus on

The RAC Foundation, a British nonprofit that focuses on driving issues recently asked drivers to use a driving simulator to see how texting while driving affected them. “Although doing many things at the same time...can be a way to make tasks more fun and energizing”, one must “keep in mind that you sacrifice focus when you do this”(Tugend B2). The study showed that reaction times dropped by as much as 35%, far more than while driving drunk or stoned. Those statistics show that multitasking, or attempting to perform two tasks that require large amounts of concentration, can actually prove fatal(Tugend B3). Verna von Pfetten’s opinion of multitasking follows along the same lines as Tugend’s whereas she describes how multitasking actually causes one to “feel tired at the end of the day”(Pfetten A3).

Remember when you had to bring a book to all your classes? Well not anymore, now everything can be easily accessed without having to carry two or three books at once just to make it to class on time. Now with technology in our normal everyday life our world is evolving with each passing moment, some have grown to dislike, or even hate, technology but alas, many have fallen in love with it.