This Week in CQ Researcher

Impact of the Internet on Thinking
by Alan Greenblatt, September 24, 2010

Is the Web changing the way we think?

Due to the growing dominance of the Internet as the primary medium for commerce, entertainment and social communications, Americans are using more electronic media than ever. Some worry that the Internet, with its visual stimulation and constant distractions, is altering the way we think–and not for the better. Some studies indicate that it may alter physical mechanics of the brain that lead to long-term memory formation. And China and South Korea have declared “Internet addiction” a primary public health concern. But every new medium that comes on the scene has elicited similar fears about ill effects on popular taste and capacity for reflection and deep thinking. Still, there’s no question that the Internet is having profound effects on our lives–perhaps as great as any technological change since the advent of the printing press.

• Does the Internet make us smarter?
  
• Does the Web shorten attention spans?
  
• Are people addicted to the Internet?
  

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