The internet of 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee first invented the World Wide Web (WWW) is way different than the one that exists 30 years later in 2019. There’s no denying his fact. The proliferation of internet across the remotest corners of the globe has created a new virtual world where customers can order things with a few clicks and taps, education can be imparted online, entertainment takes a whole new meaning, and more. Having said that, the internet has also resulted in many unique problems and more specifically related to our health. If you haven’t already, now is the time to ponder over these 5 steps to Digital Detox and here’s why!
A team of experts from leading universities like King’s College, Oxford University, Harvard, etc. have published a joint study that states how internet can impact our brains. Excessive internet and social media use can restructure your brain, reveals the study. The research paper has been published in the Journal of World Psychiatry. The research highlights how internet can change how we remember things, focus on tasks and interact with people.
Researchers have investigated several hypotheses on how the internet can alter cognitive processes in the human brain. They have further examined whether such hypothesis find a mention in any other recent finding in psychological, psychiatric, and neuroimaging researches. The research is led by Dr Joseph Firth, senior research fellow at NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University. The researcher says that high level of internet usage can have an impact on many functions of the brain.
In a statement, Dr Firth said, “For example, the limitless stream of prompts and notifications from the Internet encourages us towards constantly holding divided attention – which then, in turn, may decrease our capacity for maintaining concentration on a single task. Additionally, the online world now presents us with a uniquely large and constantly-accessible resource for facts and information, which is never more than a few taps and swipes away.”
The ease with which information is accessible through the internet has changed how humans store information, facts, knowledge and even values. MRI scans show significant changes in the brain activity of people with heavy online usage, as per the study. It also mentions how the widespread adoption of phones, computers along with social media has become a big concern for teachers and parents of young children.