How Digital Technology Shapes Us

Teachers claim that students' attention spans have drastically changed because technology is eroding their ability to focus. But what about adults? Explore the impact of technology on our own ability to perform "deep work" and whether or not multitasking is even a neurological possibility.

While our brain circuitry evolved to support speech, reading is not an innate, passively acquired skill. Instead, the connections in our brains are shaped and reinforced as we learn to read. Compare the neurological difference between reading on the internet and reading a physical book, and understand why we need to ensure that the next generations acquire the skill of "deep reading."

Has our ability to remember details declined as more and more information becomes instantly available on the internet? After all, why bother memorizing a fact you can so easily look up? Explore the positives and negatives of the internet with respect to memory creation, and learn how the latest technology might help us expand our memories to take full advantage of our human potential.

Recommendations, whether from a real person or an algorithm, have an enormous influence on our behaviors. Consider how much of your digital content (e.g., social media, books, movies, political ads) is determined by an algorithm that might or might not have goals aligned with your own. Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of these algorithms will help you make more informed choices.

Given that our experiences affect not only how are brains are activated but also their structural anatomy, explore the many ways in which virtual reality can affect us. Learn why leaders of VR research are calling for a code of ethics, and why VR could also be a place where human imagination could thrive, leading to new ideas and inventions.

Does increased screen time enrich or impoverish children's environments and how are their emotions influenced by digital media? You might be surprised to learn that "it depends," just like almost every other aspect of parenting. Explore the many factors scientists are studying to help answer these crucial questions.

We might easily assume that those who play violent games would be more likely to perpetrate violent acts than non-players, but the scientific research is less conclusive. Dig into the fascinating studies that have been addressing this issue for decades and learn how playing violent video games factors into overall cognitive development and perceptions of the world.

Although studies show we are not sleeping fewer hours than before the days of technology on the nightstand, the quality of our sleep has likely been affected. Better understand the lifesaving functions your brain performs while you sleep and how technology, used the right way, just might help you sleep better, allowing your cognitive functions to be stronger the next day.

Have you ever used a search engine for medical advice? If so, you're certainly not alone. But how often does that search result in more harm than help? Consider the many ways in which technology has impacted the practice of medicine and the doctor-patient relationship, and the moral dilemmas that have resulted.