What is it that makes the Internet so compelling to so many? Aside from the obvious fun and entertainment, educational and business opportunities, and show-offism; I think it boils down to a slogan taken from the eighties. No fear! The playing field is level. Size doesn't matter, really. Inhibitions and reservations are out the window.
Internet life is people with diseases and addictions, exposing souls and sharing their recoveries. It's about overviews of history warning future generations not to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors. Sure there are a few kooks to throw us off guard, but mostly the Net is just us being ourselves without fear of reprisal. How refreshing.
The Internet is people talking and sharing ideas. Our best and brightest, wallflowers and flower children, the girl next door and the Doc who delivered your kids. It's about you and me. We are all using our own cognizant voices, and we're listening too. We're challenging the status quo, and we're offering alternatives. Collaboration on a global scale all tied together by that simplest of cyber friendships, the hyperlink. Communication has never seen anything like it.
I first considered all this ten years ago when that sociology study came out. Another ten years later, my life is even more enriched by the Internet.
So to answer your question, I don't think it's the Internet that has whacked your brain, I think you might want to be looking elsewhere. If anything, the Internet is keeping you stimulated.
Sarah Eeee on 30 Dec 10Some Metafilter users opinions on the Internet and attention span. Netbros takes a very optimistic approach, highlighting the wonderful communication realities & possibilities of the Internet. Still, I can't help but be convinced that my attention span has decreased as social networking has taken up an increasing proportion of my Internet use. When I was 10-11 years old (got my first computer with Internet access), I spent most of my time reading relatively long websites about all sorts of things. (Granted, I had been the kind of kid who read the encyclopedia and lots of non-fiction before we got a computer.) I'm 23 now, and my desktop is usually awash with tabs of news, blog posts, social networking sites, and an array of links I found from these aforementioned places. I hate to blame Twitter, Facebook, email, or any other social networking application. But still - I feel like my attention span has decreased, at a developmental stage when it should likely have increased (going from 10 years old to 23). What are your thoughts?
