Suyin Aerts
November 1, 2019

The power of internet

Knowledge is power, we know that, and we are all eager to learn new things. And now we have the internet, so basically every knowledge is a click away. But we must understand that our social media feed, and probably every search, starts only feeding us with the food we like. So is that the whole spectrum of knowledge?

What is for sure is that the internet is a powerful stimulus for attention, it does offer an incredible amount of information near-constantly. And it is I think perfectly normal for our brains to want to suck down as much juicy compelling information as possible.

And as sugar is for your brain, the internet is a drug also. And yes I dare to say that for me maybe a combination of trying to protect myself from boredom and a fear of missing out has led me, as most people, to go for the search of food on the internet far more than I realize.

Because I am sure you recognize this :when you are working hard on something (very often on your computer)... it is there, "the internet". And yes you know if anything, it is never boring on the internet.

We are very good at multitasking, or at least that is what we think, but many researchers did already prove that no matter how good you think you are at multitasking, the time lost to task- and context-switching over the course of a day can quickly ravage your available mental energy.

So basically we have to allow ourselves to be bored from time to time. To go out there without him (or is it a she, that screen?)

And to create memories in our brain, scientists say that it takes energy. When you learn a new fact, your brain embeds it in a nest of everything else you know. The tighter you weave the connections, the more likely it is you’ll recall information you just learned. So basically we need to fight the googlification of our memory.

So one of my good intentions for 2020 is to think about myself , about others, remembering the past, considering the future and make social evaluations more often. As this mode of the brain, again scientists say, is the one associated with creativity and imagination. So I will try to be less productive on the internet to get more productive...If that makes sense...

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