Digital Dementia and TikTok Brain


Modern First World conditions, it seems. Both are cause for concern.

“Digital Dementia” is a term coined by neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer to describe an overuse of digital technology resulting in the breakdown of cognitive abilities.1 Spitzer proposes that short-term memory pathways will start to deteriorate from underuse if we overuse technology.


TikTok Brain is more specific, and relates to the use of TikTok and other sources of short, dense content which trigger dopamine in users and apparently leads to shorter attention spans. If this is the case, we need to get our kids off this stuff.

 
Was a thread on this the other day about impact on kids.

Interesting linked article linked in the op about outsourcing your memory to technology. Quite guilty of searching for stuff rather than any attempt to memorise it.


Also see the same with people unable to remember any directions because of Google maps.
 
Was a thread on this the other day about impact on kids.

Interesting linked article linked in the op about outsourcing your memory to technology. Quite guilty of searching for stuff rather than any attempt to memorise it.


Also see the same with people unable to remember any directions because of Google maps.

People on here are incapable of researching anything with technology, where do they fit in?
 
People on here are incapable of researching anything with technology, where do they fit in?

In the future world, maybe they don't. But there's also something to be said for not handing over the ability to think for yourself, to a smart phone
 
Modern First World conditions, it seems. Both are cause for concern.

“Digital Dementia” is a term coined by neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer to describe an overuse of digital technology resulting in the breakdown of cognitive abilities.1 Spitzer proposes that short-term memory pathways will start to deteriorate from underuse if we overuse technology.


TikTok Brain is more specific, and relates to the use of TikTok and other sources of short, dense content which trigger dopamine in users and apparently leads to shorter attention spans. If this is the case, we need to get our kids off this stuff.


I blame the likes of Spotify. Attention spans flattened so hardly anyone givrs a song more thsn thirty seconds never mind listens to full albums.
 
Interesting. When I look at the numbers of mainly women who stagger around in the street looking at their I wonder what the long term consequences will be. I think eventually science will find a way to put a chip in your head which does away with the need for an actual phone.
 
In the future world, maybe they don't. But there's also something to be said for not handing over the ability to think for yourself, to a smart phone

The amount of stuff you can reference is way better and more informative than a library ever was.

Now the amount of shit people fill their heads with is an entirely different matter.

My mind is always on the go without any digital influences but the best thing I’ve done in recent times is keeping away from current affairs and the news as much as I can.

It’s near enough all doom and gloom and toxic anyway.
 
The amount of stuff you can reference is way better and more informative than a library ever was.

Now the amount of shit people fill their heads with is an entirely different matter.

My mind is always on the go without any digital influences but the best thing I’ve done in recent times is keeping away from current affairs and the news as much as I can.

Agree with all of that and same here, but does mean I can spending ages reading about random stuff that I don't remember
 
Agree with all of that and same here, but does mean I can spending ages reading about random stuff that I don't remember

If you had to write down things you’ve done today you’d have forgotten loads of stuff.

If you could retain everything you’d probably go a tad mad, I cannot remember stuff I’ve done less than a minute ago at work because I don’t really need to.

I call it dumping my RAM.
 

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