Do Social Networking Sites Re-Wire The Brain?
Comments(0) Great story today out of the UK, with an academic claiming that social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and Twitter shorten the attention span, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self centred.
The comments come from Baroness Susan Greenfield an Oxford University based neuro-scientist. She said the sites as well as fast paced computer games and TV shows can effectively “rewire” the brain. She states that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights and who have a small attention span.
More than 150 million people worldwide use Facebook, and Twitter now has over 6 million users. In a report to Britain’s highest court, she indicated that a teacher of over 30 years experience had noticed a sharp decline in the ability of her students to understand others. It seems that real converstation may eventually give way to sanitised and on line dialogues.
I notice she hasn’t mentioned us baby boomers out there that use social networking sites, but then again this is something that I’ve known for a long time, I have a short attention span and I’m attracted to buzzing noises and bright lights. So now I know who to blame for this.
Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, you have a lot to answer for!!!
