Comments on: Your Brain on Technology: Rewired and Addicted?

By: 4 Surefire Signs Your Kids Are Stuck in The Entitlement Trap | Discover Share Inspire

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:02:48 +0000

[...] As a result, they lack initiative, they aren’t interested in exerting their ‘full potential’, they neglect following through, and are often bored and/or addicted to constant technological stimulus (yes, this is a real addiction that is actually rewiring the brain.) [...]

By: Put a Captcha on the Greatest Computer of All – Your Brain » Article Campus

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 22:51:33 +0000

[...] Your Brain on Technology: “The best approach is to make sure that we are spending … that humanity would be better off if we had “all the … [...] “Your Brain on Technology: Rewired and Addicted?” by Paul Barsch [...]

By: Resources for Parents on Technology, Tweens, and Teens

Resources for Parents on Technology, Tweens, and Teens — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:04:49 +0000

[...] “Your Brain on Technology: Rewired and Addicted?” by Paul Barsch [...]

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:28:19 +0000

For future readers, here is another article on the same topic from the NYT…

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html

By: Shaiming

Shaiming — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:05:34 +0000

Hello. We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.
I am from Nigeria and know bad English, give true I wrote the following sentence: “Business gant chart, nick’s firestorm is since a trial that the greek mandates sergei to feel away from the phones for him.”
With respect 8), Shaiming.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:09:34 +0000

Interesting article, I’m addicted to the internet and it sure has rewired my mind. Lately I’m too self conscious when talking to others, my mind is continuously asking if im staring or giving enough eye contact and all those stuff. Its so frustrating. It all started when I started using the Internet for atleast 10 hours a day.
Anyone know the medical term for what I’m going thru? This fear of eye contact…..

By: Renaldo

Renaldo — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:36:10 +0000

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By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:38:58 +0000

@ Jim, While you said, “Perhaps it is that my brain has long since been rewired,” remember Dr. Gary Small says this is reversible over time – if you deem it necessary. Perhaps for you, however, growing up in the Internet age, a reversal is unnecessary.
Amber, thanks for commenting. Your experiences are typical of many people coping with the rise of Internet and mobile technologies all around us!

By: Amber

Amber — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:54:06 +0000

I used to enjoy writing and drawing before I became immersed in the internet. In addition to losing those interests, I also feel that I’m less creative than I was before plugging in.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:24:19 +0000

I found your article incredibly fascinating..
I googled upon it while researching Internet addiction. I find it interesting as I am 30 years old, and have been absolutely immersed in technology for the past 20 years. Often, Internet addiction is described as detrimental, however I find it difficult to determine how and why it is a bad thing. Perhaps it is that my brain has long since been rewired.
I am a software developer, so I use the Internet many hours per day for professional advancement and research. Since my kids often claim the TV, I use the Internet to randomly browse and research new and exciting things of which I didn’t previously know. I personally feel that I am addicted to learning new things, and the Internet is an extremely useful tool for doing just that. As a creative hobby, I build and modify my Jeep, which I research new ideas and howto’s on the Internet, but often finances interfere with being able to create and do new things on the auto. I replace time which I cannot afford to modify it with researching everything from cancer, WWII history, how tanks work, welding, music history, literary works, to you name it.
Does this make me addicted to the Internet, or is this simply a sign that I have long since rewired my brain? Since I have been doing this for so long, I actually don’t remember any other way of being. I do find that I am extremely analytical and logical in my everyday thinking.

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:20:46 +0000

Cuong, thank you for commenting on this post.
You make a very interesting point about the effects of “rewiring” on the generations, and rightfully point out that Gen Y’s are probably used to multi-tasking as this is this normal daily environment.
All this said, neuroscientists have shown that in many instances multi-tasking isn’t making us more productive, but instead makes us less able to pay attention and sloppier in our final work product. Not true in all instances of course, but for many populations is this accurate.
I’ll steer you to a previous post and let you decide!
http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/12/are_web_20_tools_dumbing_us_do.html

By: Cuong Huynh

Cuong Huynh — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:49:38 +0000

Interesting topic Paul. What you wrote makes a lot of sense, although I think it applies to some and not others.
I consider myself a “younger baby boomer”, if there’s such a finer cut at the group, and my guess is this article has larger impact on the boomer group than, say, the Gen X or Gen Y group.
For us, since we grew up in the analog, “paper”/printed world, we did (and still do) have to make adjustments in this digital/paperless world. On the other hand the new generations were born into this world already so I think this is less of an issue for them.
In fact for a younger person I don’t think they look at this as being rewired or always on or too much technology or multitasking. It’s the way it is and anything else is actually a real effort for them.
It is most probable that our brains had already made several major changes in the past (e.g., going from primitive to industrial to modern ages). So this may just be another small evolution. Maybe another topic for another day.

By: Web Designing Australia

Web Designing Australia — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:52:44 +0000

I must say the article is really interesting. I have never given a thought in this way about technologies. N i agree you are rite. Our minds are really working like robots these days. Technologies are beneficial in any ways, but they are having other way too…

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:07:09 +0000

Laura, thank you for commenting. I believe many people like to think they can focus on their current project with five open browsers, alerts, chats popping up etc. The reality is that we have a fixed architecture for our brains. We can train them to multi-task more effectively, but to your point, we could be draining our productivity by doing so.

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:22:37 +0000

What I find constantly amusing in these wired times is that it is getting more and more difficult to justify productivity in the workplace if you are doing several things online. On occassion, we tend to browse through social networks just to break the ‘tedium’ whilst looking for worthwhile resources for current work based projects. If not that, I noticed that some people cannot function properly without their daily dose of YouTube or CNN online. How did we ever work before we got caught in the web?

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:54:27 +0000

Claire, your quote is a good one, however it does remind me of a previous post I wrote titled “Frivolous Facebook Fridays” where one company I profiled is asking employees to set aside one hour a day to social network (on the computer). So, can business relationships be developed/created using social networking? For sure, but I think we could all use some time away from the technology to ponder and deeply contemplate.

By: Claire Ratushny

Claire Ratushny — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:16:41 +0000

Paul,
Just came across an interesting quote that might interest you and Daily Fix readers:
“When I go into offices, I see brilliant people looking at a bloody screen for hours. I say, ‘When are you communicating? When are you learning and being creative?’”
–Peter Ueberroth, business guru and former Major League Baseball commissioner

By: Dusan Vrban

Dusan Vrban — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:21:38 +0000

@Suzi: Yeap, I did it as well with hands full of stuff falling down… Undo I said. I think that’s part of rewired brain.
@Paul: me too. Just too many cases seen – did like others do (with no real thinking about it) and wasted tons of money…

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:47:01 +0000

Yeah, who are the kooks that come up with these brain implant ideas and so on?
I cannot go a day without a least a little time away from technology. Even if there were a way to turn off the implant, I would know it was there and that would be enough to make fun, non-tech things less fun.

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:21:54 +0000

Suzi, there are many times I wished for a delete or backspace key for many of my actions or mistakes! Thanks for a bit of comic relief.

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:16:47 +0000

Dusan, thank you for commenting on my posts and also for the compliment!
I’ll agree with you that the acquisition of any technology does not automatically infer competitive advantage. The real comp adv lies in the use of that technology to address business problems–and address them in a manner that competitors are not. Sounds trite, but in my 15 years in technology I’ve seen failure after failure and millions of wasted dollars from not aligning technology with business challenges.

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:10:49 +0000

Neil, thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I loved your line that you’d rather be inplanting “a cold beer to my lips in some small Costa Rican town while watching a tree Sloth move a few inches or a Spider Monkey go ape.”
This may surprise many people, as I am a marketing/technologist kinda guy, but I definitely believe too much of a good thing (internet) may be bad for us and the research of Dr. Gary Small definitely cemented these thoughts…

By: Suzi

Suzi — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:35:35 +0000

I knew my brain was becoming rewired when my first thought upon spilling a cup of coffee was “control-Z” to undo…and, weirder yet, I instinctively thought “control-F” to find my car keys somewhere in the house.

By: Jerry D. Cress , Jr.

Jerry D. Cress , Jr. — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:17:00 +0000

I really believe that the Internet has open a new world to me. I had a dream i was building theses towers one at the north pole and the other at the south pole, there was theses magnets shaped like donuts and they went in the middle of the towers and it was spinning . Magnet energy fields from the earth spinning it.On each sides where theses large generators.Wire where stretched across the world . I said in my dream now the world never half to worry about energy again.And i woke up.It all came from me reading the Internet, something i never did , is read.

By: Jerry D. Cress , Jr.

Jerry D. Cress , Jr. — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:13:19 +0000

I really believe that the Internet has open a new world to me. I had a dream i was building theses towers one at the north pole and the other at the south pole, there was theses magnets shaped like donuts and the went on each side of the towers and it was spinning like a top with the magnet energy from the earth spinning it.On each sides where theses large generators.Wire where stretched across the world . I said in my dream now the world never half to worry about energy again.And i woke up.It all came from me reading the Internet, something i never did , is read.

By: Jerry D. Cress , Jr.

Jerry D. Cress , Jr. — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:13:10 +0000

I really believe that the Internet has open a new world to me. I had a dream i was building theses towers one at the north pole and the other at the south pole, there was theses magnets shaped like donuts and the went on each side of the towers and it was spinning like a top with the magnet energy from the earth spinning it.On each sides where theses large generators.Wire where stretched across the world . I said in my dream now the world never half to worry about energy again.And i woke up.It all came from me reading the Internet, something i never did , is read.

By: Jerry D. Cress , Jr.

Jerry D. Cress , Jr. — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:13:06 +0000

I really believe that the Internet has open a new world to me. I had a dream i was building theses towers one at the north pole and the other at the south pole, there was theses magnets shaped like donuts and the went on each side of the towers and it was spinning like a top with the magnet energy from the earth spinning it.On each sides where theses large generators.Wire where stretched across the world . I said in my dream now the world never half to worry about energy again.And i woke up.It all came from me reading the Internet, something i never did , is read.

By: Dusan Vrban

Dusan Vrban — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:27:19 +0000

Paul, I love your posts always, since you really know about marketing and technology (not like many programmers that think they know marketing – must say sorry). I just think it is hard for most of the people to understand this complexity. Too hard for a blog.
Anyway, I think there are more positive than negative effects from the changes for our generation. Yet I am not sure about the following generations that perhaps do not have all the same experiences as we have.
The most interesting aspect I like to discuss are the actual marketing benefits of the technological improvements. For example, what is the benefit of websites for my company? I’m just having a new tool that everyone has. New costs, new time to work on and actually no competitive advantage from itself.
The same goes for any bright new shinny techno stuff. Facebook, twitter, virtual worlds,… just something new that will not bring competitive advantage to your company. Just new costs and faster work (more work).
And that’s why Lewis made a great strategy about it.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:50:14 +0000

Do you find that constant use of technology is changing the way you think? Positively or negatively?
I am 40 to old enough to remember the world before the Internet. And I have say that I feel like I am better informed now. I do love my paper Economist, though, the one publication to which I receive the print version. I pay for several other publications of various sorts for just the online version.
As for changing the way I think I have grown to expect to be able to find things out instantly and do things instantly. I just got back from a quick trip to the East Coast. I was able to arrange the flights and hotel in minutes and no delay. I take that for granted, now.
I think that I have more information in my head because of the Internet. I am not sure, however, the static to noise ratio. Yikes.
* Have you noticed a dramatic shift in your online vs. offline reading?
Yes, I only read The Economist and books off line. Everything else I prefer to read online.
* Technology is surely making us more efficient, but with too much technology are we also training our minds to be more “robotic”?
I do not feel my mind is more robotic.
* In the Atlantic Monthly article, the founders of Google have suggested that humanity would be better off if we had “all the world’s information directly attached to (the) brain” via interface or implant and of course, supplied by Google. How much technology is too much? When will we know when we’ve crossed “the line” between benefit and harm?
That’s a flat-out stupid idea. People NEED to get away from it all. Turn off everything.
I think part of each day should be technology free.
I’d rather inplant a cold beer to my lips in some small Costa Rican town while watching a tree Sloth move a few inches or a Spider Monkey go ape. This after a day in the rain forest or beach without a phone or Internet connection to be found.

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:11:49 +0000

Paul,
You are correct: This year I cut back my time online during the business day (none in the evening) because I believe most online activities are unproductive and hurt the bottom line. However, my larger point is that I don’t own or subscribe to, and never have, most of the online gadgets (e.g., IPod) or sites.