Say you want an evolution? Review of iBrain.

Say you want an evolution?

 iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind by Gary Small, M.D. and Gigi Vorgan

 Dr. Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan's iBrain is a fascinating book that details how technology is changing our brains.  Their main thesis is that our brains and the brains of our children are much more plastic and changeable than we have been led to believe. They differentiate between digital immigrants: people who had to learn technology such as computers and cell phones as adults, and digital natives: people who have known technology since birth. The good news for middle-aged digital immigrants is that we have the advantage over older ones and the younger natives, because our brains are plastic enough to respond to and learn new technologies than older brains, but we retain the social skills that native sometimes lack.

 My son has a mild form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, so I panicked for a moment. Did I let him watch television too much when he was younger. Play on the computer? No and no-he wasn't interested thankfully. But he is now, and I was surprised to learn that digital natives suffer some of the same symptoms as autistic individuals: lack of eye contact; a just-the-facts approach to communication, and a lack of give-and-take in conversation.  So now that he's a PSP fanatic, is my son's Asperger's getting worse? I don't think so. He has enough else going on. According to iBrain, that seems to be the key. All electronics and no face time, makes for digital natives that have poor social skills, so it is very important to reinforce human connection away from electronic devices. The warning against multitasking  and how is can contribute to anxiety and attention deficit disorder symptoms  seem particularly relevant today when so many  of us have trouble paying attention.

 The book provides many resources for understanding the best uses of technology determining whether or not technology is interfering with our lives. The questionnaires designed to locate the difficulties technology are followed by tangible exercises for improving our real world connections. The authors even include a glossary of technological terms, an especially-helpful list of emoticons and texting abbreviations, and a list of professional organizations that help with cyber addictions. 

 The message of iBrain is not that technology is good or bad, but that it is both. Electronic devices can change the structure of our brains and leave us disconnected and lonely, but they can also help us accomplish much in terms of work, economics and social connection. For the sake of our brains, however, we must walk the fine line of being able to use and learn how to use new technologies, without losing our essential humanity.