How does technology affect our minds? by Gabriel Monson https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0 Gabriel Monson en-us 2017-02-28 17:23:30 UTC 2026-01-13 13:01:56 UTC hello@padlet.com gabriel_seth_monson https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156808339 This article was not helpful in answering my question. It's just someone saying technology is bad and she offers no solution to fix it. She doesn't explain why it happens.]]> 2017-02-28 17:50:06 UTC https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156808339 gabriel_seth_monson https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156810213 "Studies suggest that people who use social media to avoid social situations report lower well being, whereas those who use it to overcome social challenges are benefited by it"]]> 2017-02-28 17:55:44 UTC https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156810213 gabriel_seth_monson https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156812031 The increased use of technology, and how it affects us, is explained with an analogy.
Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski
A scuba diver moves slow and is focused on what they're doing. They are submerged in the sea of words and knowledge. A person on a jet ski, however, is just skimming by. They are distracted by the view around them.
]]> 2017-02-28 18:00:33 UTC https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156812031 gabriel_seth_monson https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156813138 This article talks about how our brains adapt very well and how technology is both positive and negative. It mentions neuroplasticity: our brain's tendency to form habits. Although the author thinks technology isn't all bad, he says too much TV can cause ADHD.]]> 2017-02-28 18:03:26 UTC https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/156813138 gabriel_seth_monson https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/157416249 In a recent experiment, college students remembered less information when they thought they could easily access it later
We used to have much less resources to rely on for information, so we made a greater effort to remember things. Now, since we have instant access to tremendous amounts of information, we feel that we don't have to remember as much. 

According to a brain scan, people who use the internet habitually have much more activity in the prefrontal cortex than people who don't. This part of the brain is used for short term memory and quick decision making. This means that the brain classifies things you read on the internet as trivial, in a way. You read or see something, your brain reacts, and then you forget about it.

Even though we have access to so much information, our brains aren't in the proper state to actually absorb or learn anything.
]]> 2017-03-02 17:43:06 UTC https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/157416249 gabriel_seth_monson https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/157423815 Because of the increased use of technology in children, their brains are developing in different ways compared to previous generations. Technology can decrease our ability to pay attention. Studies show that reading text without any ads or links will increase your understanding of what you're reading. On the other hand, video games can increase your ability to pay attention, your reaction times, your visual-spatial capabilities, and can make you more able to find things in clutter.

Rather than making children stupid, technology more likely makes them different. Children are less capable of remembering things, but are now able to remember where to find things. ]]> 2017-03-02 18:02:13 UTC https://padlet.com/gabriel_seth_monson/f15dnf2s4sc0/wish/157423815