Modern technology is playing an increasingly important role in our lives. We are surrounded by computers, smartphones, tablets... But what impact do these new technologies have on our thinking? Do they make us smarter, or are we getting dumber? The answer to this question isn’t simple, and this debate arises almost every time a new device or invention appears. Even in ancient Greece, the philosopher Socrates protested against the use of writing and books. He believed that they would make people stupider, because if they could read and write everything, they wouldn’t have to remember anything at all. Time has shown that he was wrong. Although people can no longer recite the entire *Odyssey* and *Iliad* from memory as they did in Socrates’ time, the spread of writing has led to unprecedented progress and an increase in education. Over the centuries, people have also debated the impact of the printing press, typewriters, the telegraph, and television. Today, proponents and opponents of computers and the internet stand on opposite sides. So is Google really causing our brains to atrophy, or is the reality different? Let’s now take a brief look at representatives from both camps.
On the side of the opponents of modern technology stands German psychiatrist and psychologist Manfred Spitzer, who stated in an interview: “When you use a car, your muscles atrophy. When you use a GPS, your brain atrophies.” In his book Digital Dementia, which was published in 2014 in the Czech Republic as well, he cites a number of studies that, according to him, confirm that the use of computers and cell phones has predominantly negative effects on our cognitive abilities. Spitzer describes, for example, the results of a study that focused on the impact of modern technology on memory and interpersonal communication. In this study, participants watched a short short film together. After watching it, they were asked to recall as many details as possible. Some participants were asked to recall these details on their own, without the opportunity to discuss them with others. Other participants were allowed to collaborate with one another and were asked to discuss the task together, either face-to-face or via an online chat. It turned out that the people who discussed the film face-to-face recalled the most details.
Spitzer goes on to cite studies in this book that suggest multitasking has a negative impact on our attention and increases our impulsivity. Other studies he mentions show that because of the easy availability of information on the internet, we forget things much more quickly. Is this really the case? It appears so; other, more recent studies—which Spitzer does not cite in his book—also suggest this. For example, a survey conducted in the U.S. in 2013 showed that people between the ages of 18 and 34 are more forgetful than people over 55. More often than not, they forgot, for example, what day it was, where they had put their keys, or where they had left their phone.
Another major critic of modern technology is American journalist Nicholas Carr, who argues that computers and the internet have a particularly negative impact on our reading habits. According to him, due to the flood of information, we read faster and more superficially, and we understand written text much less well. Carr has already published several books on this topic, but I personally would recommend his shorter pieces—especially his famous article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, which appeared in The Atlantic magazine.
Among the optimists who focus more on the positive side of new technologies is Canadian journalist Clive Thompson, author of the book Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. In this book, Thompson explores how modern technology can actually improve our thinking. He points out, for example, that thanks to computers, cell phones, and the internet, we write much more and more frequently today than previous generations did. This, he argues, should improve our writing skills. This is confirmed, for example, by research conducted by Andrea Lunsford of Stanford University. In her study, she analyzed college students’ essays written both today and at the beginning of the 20th century. It turned out that today’s students’ texts contained roughly the same number of grammatical errors, but they were much longer than texts written nearly a century ago. In addition to length, however, there was also a significant shift in style. The essays written by today’s students were much more sophisticated and contained more clear arguments.
Another advocate of the internet and computers is psychiatrist Garry Small. In his 2008 study, he found that surfing the internet leads to greater brain activity than reading books. This increased activity was primarily observed in the parts of the brain responsible for complex thinking and decision-making. Research by psychologist Betsy Sparrow also shows that modern technology can have a positive impact on our thinking. Her findings suggest that, thanks to modern technology, we don’t have to remember as much information, and as a result, our brains have much greater capacity to consider various approaches and strategies when solving problems. This makes us much more creative when searching for solutions.
So, is Google causing our brains to atrophy? It’s hard to say. Computers and the internet, like many other things, have their pros and cons. Thanks to them, we’re likely more creative when finding solutions to various problems, and they help us better present our ideas and views. At the same time, however, they also make us more distracted and impulsive. We often read articles and news quickly and superficially, and retain less information from them. In short, modern technology can be a good servant but a bad master, so let’s always think carefully about when and how we use it.
