Dr. Tracy Alloway, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, has brought to light some new information concerning social media and psychology. According to Dr. Alloway, Facebook can help improve your memory skills while micro-blogging and texting could weaken those skills. Go figure!
While there has been some debate on these findings, or rather, those who say you need to look at the “bigger picture” (such as the blog at Mashable.com - http://mashable.com/2009/09/07/facebook-smarter-twitter-dumber/), I do think Dr. Alloway has brought some attention to an interesting topic. How is technology today affecting your attention span, memory, and processing skills?
Walk into any café, airport, school classroom, or just walk down the street – what is the percentage of people you see with a cell phone or otherwise electronic device in their hand? Do you contribute to that percentage? Don’t get me wrong, I am completely an advocate of the use of technology to enrich our lives. Yet, I’m also a believer in “everything in moderation”.
I’d like to leave this post a little open ended, we’ll call it a “food-for-thought post” to be continued with my next post. In the meantime, think it over – What’s your stance on the issue? Check out the original article at Telegraph - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/6147668/Facebook-enhances-intelligence-but-Twitter-diminishes-it-claims-psychologist.html - I think your mind will find it quite delicious!
