Effects of the Internet

"Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has caused a tremendous cultural shift whose most profound impact has been on young people. It will take another 30 years before the Internet's effects are clearly understood. The computer has literally reshaped the brain of those who grew up with it..."(268)

The Internet has allowed for a new basis of which we socialize (facebook) and retrieve information (wikipedia.) It is now possible to reach anyone anywhere in the world and to retrieve facts in only seconds. Is this convenience making our generation more intelligent or more lazy? Studies have shown that the areas of the brain which control decision making and complex reasoning double in activity among new internet users. However, internet users show a decrease in their capacity to concentrate on given tasks. Using the internet may be rewiring our neuron connections. Paglia raises a very thought provoking point when he states "It will take another 30 years before the internet's effects are clearly understood." It seems that everyday interent use is reaching a new pinnacle. How will internet use effect the behavior and evolution of humans in the future? As I look at my 2 year old nephew unwittingly pressing on the keyboard, I wonder how the use of computers from such an early age will effect his cognitive development. In other words, is his mind at advantage or disadvantage by being entertained by interenet sites. Internet use has become so prevalent that it may be taking away from people's social skills as they spend hours on end in front of a computer, they may be losing out on critical life experiences.