How Computers Change the Way We Think, Research Paper Example

Have you ever questioned how computers are really affecting the mind’s ability? Sherry Turkle, who has researched and studied how computers affect the human brain, believes that the more people use and depend on computers, the less capable their minds become. In today’s world, technology is everywhere. Society has become more dependent upon technology; consequently, skills like creativity or critical thinking ability may be affected as well. The employment of various other complex skills, many believe, is what critical thinking is.  Critical thinking is the application of logic and reason to an unfamiliar situation. Likewise, being able to think critically means one has to be open-minded and willing to see situations from various points of view. Another important aspect of critical thinking is being able to approach problems rationally. One must understand that what may seem rational to him/her may not seem rational to someone else. Members of today’s society have learned to depend more on computers than using critical thinking skills. The use of computers has negatively affected the brain’s ability to think critically.

The use of technology leads to a short attention span for nearly everyone who is exposed to it. For example, as Olsen says:

“With extensive recurrent internet usage, studies indicate the development of systemic implications such as short term attention spans and scattered thinking. When we work online, our brains are constantly pressured to take in vast amounts of information. Many links on one page connect to others, sidebar advertisements flash and divert attention, web pages contain tantalizing pictures, and other factors all contribute to distractions while looking up information” (Olsen 15 ).

Lack of patience is a common characteristic that describes the majority of people who are technology dependent. With the use of technology, people seldom have to wait for anything (Turkle 12). There are numerous examples of how technology has made processes almost instantaneous. However, before computers, friends that lived far apart called or wrote each other letters. They occasionally visted in person, too. Today, people have numerous ways in which to communicate with each other. First, there is instant messaging or text messaging. With this method, a person can communicate with another person in real time. “Instant messaging is a part of everyday life, with more and more people using their IM service as a starting point for all communications, from sending mobile messages to friends on cell phones to placing VoIP-based phone calls. Fifty-eight percent of at-work instant messaging users now send IMs to communicate with colleagues” (Ciarcia 14). There is also email and social media sites, both of which are also instant. Chances are if a person is not using IM he/she is using email and/or social media.  Because youngsters are growing up with access to technology that is instantaneous, they are very impatient. When they have to complete tasks that take long periods of time, they become agitated and often just quit. Of 300 college students polled, 78 percent of them agreed that they become agitated when their electronic devices are not work properly or malfunction (Ciarcia 14). While all of the various forms of technology engage people, likewise, it often becomes addictive too.

The brain is similar to other muscles-lack of use equals lack of ability.  Nicholas Carr, an evaluator of the internet and its impact on student learning, believes that students:

“are evolving from cultivators of personal knowledge into hunters and gathers in the electronic forest…dazzled by the Net’s treasures, we are blind to the damage we may be doing to our intellectual lives and even our culture. History has taught us this over and over. Likewise, the brains of young people are evolving to the tech savvy world around them” (Carr 9).

In other words, the brains of youngster are losing its ability to decipher information. They are only able to gather information. Over time this can become dangerous because the brain will lose its potential functioning ability. Turkle adds, “The computer has a chameleon-like quality; once programmed, it becomes the user’s creature and provides an ideal medium for self-exploration” (Turkle11). Now one hears the click, chirp, and cheep of cell phones when a person is faced with a question.  Ciarcia adds:

“These days, when any tough subject comes up in conversation, it’s only about 5 seconds before some guy whips out his smart phone and Googles it. It certainly doesn’t give me an inferiority complex, but short of installing a cell phone jammer, it’s hard to know how much knowledge these people have or simply how good they have become at finding someone who does” (Ciarcia 12).  

Essentially, the use of technology and computers are eliminating traditional learning behaviors. This simple fact may eventually lead to the death of common knowledge. No longer are the scratching sounds of pencils against paper heard because the tapping sounds of fingers on the keyboard have replaced them. This has led to poor writing and reading skills in young people and the fear of technology in older people. Consequently, text message and email lingo is difficult to decipher sometimes for people who are not use to reading and writing in lingo. Because there are no grammatical rules to use when chatting with friends via instant message or email, often media junkies are unable to write in other situations when grammatical rules apply. Olsen added, “The human brain is malleable. It is able to change to form new synaptic and neural connections in order to gradually restructure itself in a way to effectively incorporate information. Studies indicate that daily internet users have brains that are gradually being restructured with these distinctive neural connections due to frequent exposure” (Olsen 15).  In other words, the brain begins to operate on auto pilot, but when it experiences an unfamiliar situation it is unable to adjust. Young people, consequently, are unable to handle face to face conflict. With social media, it is quite easy to just log off or not respond, but in face to face contact it requires some critical thinking skills to handle situations. Because they are unable to diffuse potentially bad situations, so many young people find themselves in trouble at school or within their communities.  A study conducted in a middle school found that nearly 87 percent of students surveyed stated that they were unable to verbally diffuse negative situations. (Carr 9   ).Young people are more willing to solve problems using brute force and physical contact because they are unable to adequately communicate. Of that same group of students, 33 percent of those students had been referred to the principal for verbal or physical altercations (Carr 10).

Adequate person to person contact requires critical thinking skills. These skills are acquired through contact with other people.  In a survey conducted on a college campus in California, it was discovered that nearly 83 percent of the students surveyed admitted that they preferred text messaging, emailing, or other forms of communicating over face to face conversation (Olsen 15).  Lack of face to face communication depletes social skills.  The use of computers creates a sense of anonymity allowing users to create multiple personas (Turkle 10). People are able tweet Twitter messages via social media and other forms of technology daily. Tweeting has a number limit on words that confines the writer to lingo. Often one will see them in a social setting, but instead of having a conversation with the people around them, they are messaging.  The constant lack of communicating with others will lead to isolation and the lack of ability to use the skill. Those who spend the majority of their time communicating via technology will drift away from family and friends.  They spend so much time on media sites because they can become who they want to be. For example, “they can play many selves and none of these characters are any less real than what they think is their true self “(Turkle 13). Turkle conveys that this can adversely affect the way in which a person’s personality develops (Turkle 13).  Initially, the person may feel this is not a problem, but eventually they suffer from depression and anxiety about person to person contact (Carr 8). In the future, these young people will have difficulty with job interviewers. Being able to hold a conversation with a live person may prove impossible.  Depending upon the type of job they choose, it may be difficult to perform job duties such as making eye contact and paying attention to details. People who lack these essential communication skills will not be able to perform in a professional setting. Being able to adequately communicate requires much more than speaking ability. Body language is just as important. When young people have not been exposed to body language and gestures, they may miss many unspoken cues.  Another common complaint about people is the fact they are unaware of what personal space is. They often stand too close or cross personal boundaries when they are in social settings. All of these equate to poor judgment due to the lack of person to person contact. Nonetheless, they are some professions for those who are more suited for the reclusive life.

There are some positive effects of computer technology, but parents must be vigilant and proactive. Parents should monitor children usage and set guidelines. Researchers have proven that being a part of social media sites helps to build children’s self-esteem , and for those shy students it allows them to avoid face to face contact until they are comfortable doing so. Technology is also a great teaching tool (Turkle 14). Parents and teachers can enhance what they are trying to convey. However, it is to be used as just that-a tool. “Despite these benefits, proven trends indicate that with our customary reliance on the internet every day, our originality and higher order thinking is diminishing” (Carr 8).  Parents and teachers should not rely on technology to do their jobs or to pacify the child in their absence. Children must be taught to manage their emotions and behaviors appropriately. They must be able to self regulate. Self-regulation is a skill that is learned in the face to face world and can be carried over to the technology world when appropriate. Those children who already know these skills are less likely to be risky in their behaviors while using technology.

There are three qualities an individual must possess to make appropriate decisions. The first is the ability to recognize ethical issues and to reason through the ethical consequences of each decision. The ability to see second and third order effects, one of the elements of strategic thinking, is very important. The third is the ability to look at alternative points of view, and decide what is right in a particular situation. Finally, the third is the ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty; thus making a decision on the best information available. Ultimately, technology cannot teach children to think in this manner. This task is placed on the shoulders of adults and educators in the lives of young people.

Every person is capable of thinking critically. Some children are fortunate enough to have their talents and creativity nurtured as they grow. Those people who are now great artists, performers, writers, and inventors were once creative children. Critical thinking does not mean making something new, it means perfecting things to tailor to specific needs. Every human being is born with a brain that is capable of critical thinking. They are apt to find innovative ways to make life easier and more productive for them. Logically, one can deduce that technology is hindering people from thinking for themselves. It is producing robots that are unable to do anything more or less than the required. Technology, naturally, makes people seek the easiest way to complete a task instead of the best or most effective way. In today’s world, people are placed under strict time restraints to produce quick results. Fast food restaurants, pay-per-view, instant messaging, and microwave dinners are just a few examples of how people are taught to expect fast results. Critical thinking makes life fun because it takes away the monotony. People must take a break from technology and examine themselves because computer usage has negatively affected humans in several ways.

Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. “Does the Internet Make You Dumber?” The Wall Street Journal. Business News & Financial News, 05 June 2010. Web. 26 Jan. 2015

Ciarcia, Steve. “Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber?” Magazine by Engineers, for Engineers. Circuit Cella, Aug. 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.

Olsen, Stefanie. “Are We Getting Smarter or Dumber?” Brain Fitness & Brain Training. Posit Page | 15 Science, 21 Sept. 2005. Web. 26 Jan. 2015

Turkle, S. (2004). How computers change the way we think. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 50(21), 10-15