Are Computers Altering Our Brains?

Posted on August 18, 2008

I get a bit ranty but this is my response to an article Ypulse linked to at BBC news about how computers are making teens dumb. It’s just extra annoying cause clearly the woman who the article was about grew up at the dawn of TV which clearly makes us smarter after every commercial you see. Arg!

That article is so bogus. There have always been tons of people who don't like to read. I'm 25 and have been on the computer since I was in 3rd grade and the internet since 6th. I love to read long books as much as I watch 3 minute youtube videos. The thing these article never go in to is reading is work. It can be super fun but it's work that a lot of people don't like to do. I hear jogging is fun once you start.. but I've never started jogging regularly so I can't tell you for sure. Reading used to be the only way to get entertainment. but this changed not with the computer but with the transistor radio and then TV. Another thing never brought up by this article is how much reading you have to do on the computer. It's not long form narrative but it's reading. I'll bet if you compare the amount of reading a teen did in the 60s and 70s it would be less then a teen today. From text messages to youtube comments word for word we read more. The people who argue that youtube comments don't count as reading are the same people trying to get comic books out of libraries. You don't like to read book? Big deal. Tons of people don't. When they were the only form of entertainment and information everyone had to read books. but now there is more forms of entertainment and information to suit people with different learning styles. My brother hates to read. HATES IT. But he'll sit and listen to an audio book for hours (which would drive me crazy). Ug... these people make me so angry!!