Google processed 10,000 search inquiries per day when it was started in 1998. It now processes over 40,000 search queries per second on average. This equates to 3.5 billion daily searches. And those figures don't account for all the searches conducted through other search engines.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTION
There is no doubt that the internet has revolutionized our society by providing rapid access to each other and a vast amount of information. But, as individuals, how has it affected us? Have our everyday online clicks, in particular, altered our brains?
The brain is an amazing and complicated organ. You came into the world with around 100 billion brain cells on the day you were born. Neurons, or brain cells, communicate with one another via pathways. You can build such networks between brain cells over time in a variety of ways, including by repeatedly exposing yourself to something. The brain's ability to create connections between neurons is frequently referred to as the brain's ability to wire itself. The brain has the ability to rewire itself after brain damage, a process known as neuroplasticity, and this rewiring continues into old age.
The internet allows for repeated, high stimulus exposure. It also offers positive benefits on a regular basis, which is enough to keep individuals coming back for more, indicating that the internet might be addictive.
GO AROUND NET
Gary Small and his colleagues were among the first academics to demonstrate the influence of internet use on the brain in 2008. In one study, researchers divided volunteers into two groups: those who had used the internet before (computer-savvy subjects) and those who had never used the internet before (computer-nave participants). The researchers used functional MRI scans to track the individuals' brains while they surfed the internet. The scans revealed that when the two groups searched the internet, they used different brain circuits. Six days later, the MRI scans were redone after the computer-illiterate participants were given one hour per day to practice using the internet. What was striking about this study was that after only five days of practice, the two groups had activated the identical brain connections. After only five hours on the internet, the computer-illiterate group had rewired their brains.
On one hand, this is excellent news. It proves that the brain can reorganize itself, even as we become older. It is also encouraging news for folks who have suffered a traumatic brain injury. When the brain is exposed to stimuli on a regular basis, it can repair. Is this rewiring, however, a cause for concern?
WOMEN FACE SOCIAL MEDIA
Nicholas Carr states in his book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains that the internet is a significant departure from traditional media in many ways. Distractions have been increasing in our lives for a long time, but never before has a medium such as an internet been able to so broadly scatter our attention and do it so persistently. Carr claims that, in addition to changes in attention, the internet is affecting our ability to think profoundly, focus for long periods of time on one issue, and build new memories. The mind that wants and needs to take in and dole out information in short, disjointed, and often overlapping bursts appears to be changing from a calm, focused, undistracted, linear-thinking mind to a mind that wants and needs to take in and dole out information in short, disjointed, and often overlapping bursts. We are not only more distracted, but the distractions also hinder our ability to absorb new information, which has an influence on memory.
The high-tech revolution, according to Small's studies, has pushed us into a state of constant partial attention. We keep track of everything yet never focus on anything in particular. Multitasking is not the same as continuous partial attention. When we multitask, each task serves a certain purpose. When we only half pay attention and do so on a regular basis, our brains may become stressed. We no longer take the time to consider our options. That's the mindset that prompts us to send a careless SMS or make a hasty internet buy.
Fortunately, with the appropriate mindset, you can take advantage of the internet's benefits without adding needless stress to your mind and life. Here are some pointers on how to establish a secure internet connection:
Every day, do something to improve your attention and critical thinking.
Spend a set amount of time each day on a single, uninterrupted task. Reading a chapter or two of a book, playing a musical instrument, or working on a project are all examples of this. You might be surprised with how often you feel the impulse to check your phone or go online again. Resist the impulse to peek at your screen and finish the project first. Reading an article and then thinking about it is another technique to improve critical thinking skills. Pose questions to yourself about what you've just read.
Return to the natural world.
According to experts from the University of Utah and the University of Kansas, taking a vacation from technology and spending time in nature can boost creativity. Researchers divided people into two groups in a study: one went on a backpacking trip, while the other did not. Following the trip, they were all given a 10-item test to gauge their originality. The group that had been trekking for days correctly answered more questions on creativity than the group that had not gone on the backpacking trip. Spending time in the outdoors also allows for exercise, which is another natural technique to rewire the brain.
Set aside areas that are devoid of electronics.
Consider the times of day or areas in your environment when you can turn off or entirely disconnect from technology. You may choose to switch off your technological devices around dinnertime or designate certain rooms in your home as "technology-free zones." Find a time and place in your environment that is free of internet distractions, wherever and whenever that may be.
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