Why the Internet is dangerous: 7 risk factors

Does it change our neural circuits?

Searching for information on the Web changes neural connections, says neuroscientist Gary Small*. “The team of scientists at our university worked with volunteers aged 55 to 78,” he says. – Prior to the start of the study, half of its participants used the Internet daily, the other had only a general idea of ​​it. We found that in older people with minimal experience of interacting with the Internet, searching for information on the Web can change brain patterns. The Internet makes it more efficient in just one week.” Those living in the internet age literally think differently than previous generations. However, by asking an endless chain of search queries, jumping from one resource to another without a specific goal, we are doing a disservice to the brain. “As exciting as this process is,” continues Gary Small, “it only leads to “computer fatigue.” The brain also experiences increased stress when we simultaneously work with several sites, answer e-mails and talk on the phone. As a result, many who work this way for several hours complain of fatigue, irritability, and difficulty perceiving. Constant exposure to stress hormones can alter the neural circuits in areas of the brain that are responsible for cognition and mood control. Therefore, it makes sense to make an effort and from time to time break away from the screen, returning from virtual to real life.

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* Gary Small is the head of the Center for Memory and Aging at the University of California (USA), bri.ucla.edu

Does it overload our memory?

“The Internet (like newspapers and magazines) is a mass medium,” says neurophysiologist Alexander Kaplan*. – But it is distinguished by interactivity, and individual. The user can control everything by instantly choosing information, the way it is presented, video sequence, musical accompaniment. But evolutionarily, the brain is not adapted to such a high speed of switching from one topic to another. We can keep only 6-7 sources of information in our attention.” And the Internet multiplies the number of channels of perception, plots, types of data. This is what creates difficulties for our brain, “overheating” the working memory: “the brain cannot cope with the incoming information, cannot compare it with our personal experience, because it is incommensurably poorer.” The Internet often requires us to multitask, which our brains (and memory) cannot handle. But on the other hand, thanks to the Internet, we no longer need to “remember everything”: it is enough to know where to look for the necessary information.

* Alexander Kaplan is in charge of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Neurocomputer Interfaces, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosov. His lecture “Brain-computer interface” can be heard on the website univertv.ru

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Does it hurt our critical thinking?

“Our brain tries to instantly recognize any new information: who is it; what is this; how it works,” Alexander Kaplan explains. This is how we satisfy our need for knowledge. The system of hyperlinks that are on all Internet resources is designed for our reflex curiosity. But, moving from one link to another, we sometimes forget why we turned to the Internet this time.” Internet surfers are knowledgeable in many areas, but their knowledge is usually superficial. In addition, doubting the accuracy of Internet content, we are not always able to analyze and criticize it – in many areas we lack competence. So there is a risk of losing the ability to think critically. “Over time, this can lead to the fact that a person will begin to trust popular web resources more and more, consuming what they offer,” Alexander Kaplan warns. “The system for presenting information is regulated by the number of requests, so everything that is medium, mass can become the most popular – films, literature, and journalism.” But the flood of information that comes at us also has a positive side: “we can exercise our critical mind, develop our point of view and defend it before others,” says biologist Francois Taddei*. Another reason for our brain to become even more plastic!

* François Taddei, engineer and geneticist, researcher at the National Academy of Medical Sciences of France (INCERM).

Does it stop us from reading?

“It took us over a thousand years to learn how to read,” says cognitive psychologist Thierry Baccino. – In the process of reading, everything – the distance between words, the shape of letters – requires active efforts from the brain. It seems that reading from the screen is no different from “paper”, but it is not. The brain’s job (simply speaking) is to intercept, remember and process the information that it receives from the senses. In front of the screen, the load on the eyes is much higher. “Computers have only been around for a few decades, and the brain has not yet had time to adapt to this way of reading,” continues Thierry Bassino. – Under familiar conditions, when we read a book, our eyes can clearly distinguish only 4–6 characters at a time. In front of the monitor, they begin to rush about, the speed of reaction to visual information increases by 30%! There are much more symbols, they are of various colors and shapes. Added to this are pop-ups and a lot of links that appear suddenly and distract our attention.” Those who read for hours on the Internet should from time to time calm their brains by reading the old fashioned way, since no one has canceled paper books.

* Thierry Bassino, Professor at Paris VIII University and Scientific Director of the Laboratory for the Technological Application of Digital Information (Lutin), lutin-userlab.fr

Is he forming a new mind?

The Internet is made up of millions of computers, and humanity is made up of billions of minds. Linked properly, could the result be a new and completely independent intelligence? And if this happens, how will we know about it?

“Currently, the only power that can connect people on a global scale is the Internet,” says author Michael Chorost. “Instead of fighting it or worshiping it, we should “expand” in it to expand our boundaries and become stronger by developing empathy for other people. We need to remember that the World Wide Web is not the product of hostile forces commanding from outside. The Internet is ourselves: our hopes and desires materialized in hardware and software code… Trying to get around the Net or stay somewhere away from it is a losing option. The only way to overcome the Internet is to go through it.”

* Michael Horost, author of The Universal Mind. From the World Wide Web to Global Consciousness (Eksmo, 2011).

Is he forming a new mind?

The Internet is made up of millions of computers, and humanity is made up of billions of minds. Linked properly, could the result be a new and completely independent intelligence? And if this happens, how will we know about it?

“Currently, the only power that can connect people on a global scale is the Internet,” says author Michael Chorost. “Instead of fighting it or worshiping it, we should “expand” in it to expand our boundaries and become stronger by developing empathy for other people. We need to remember that the World Wide Web is not the product of hostile forces commanding from outside. The Internet is ourselves: our hopes and desires materialized in hardware and software code… Trying to get around the Net or stay somewhere away from it is a losing option. The only way to overcome the Internet is to go through it.”

* Michael Horost, author of The Universal Mind. From the World Wide Web to Global Consciousness (Eksmo, 2011).

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Does it influence our decisions?

We already know for sure that the brain is not the only thinking organ: we think with our whole body. “Indeed, the brain is not alone in front of the monitor, it is constantly in dialogue with various organs of our body,” explains neuropsychologist Martial Mermillod*. – This leads to a general excitation of the brain structures, from which the thought arises. What happens next is even more amazing. In order to absorb information, we need to imitate with the help of muscles how we express emotions – for example, fear or anger. In other words, we produce subtle muscle movements that send signals to the brain, and these signals may play a crucial role in decision making. Movies and television show us life in close-up, having a powerful impact on our consciousness and, of course, determining many of our actions, says Marcial Mermilho. The Internet is less emotionally loaded, so don’t overestimate the danger: we have no reason to believe that we will soon be at its mercy.

* Marcial Mermilho works on the creation of networks of artificial neurons of the Laboratory of Social and Cognitive Psychology (Lapsco) in Clermont-Ferrand (France).