Is The Internet Really Hazardous To Our Brains? (Research Paper Sample)

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Is the Internet really hazardous to our brains?
As to whether the internet is hazardous to the human brain, I fully support that it is hazardous. A study conducted by Nicholas Carr to examine how internet harms human brains, he established that internet is a medium which is based on interruptions. Carr states that internet changes the way people read and process information. Carr further argues that digital medium such as internet interferes with a human biological propensity for self-mindlessness. Carr argues that internet triggers dopamine in human brain similar to how food and ecstasy do.
According to Carr, digital media especially which switches scenes from one to another causes ceaseless mental doldrums. The mental doldrums destroy human ability to think and process the information. Carr states that the internet's "cacophony of stimuli" and "crazy quilt" of information has given rise to "cursory reading hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning". From this quotation, it is clear that internet alters the human arrangement of dopamine which dictates how human brain processes the information. It is also evidence from this quotation that internet distracts human thinking capacity.
In 2005, Michael Merzenich, a professor at the University of California argues that internet has the power not only to alters human brains but also changes our mental makeup. Merzenich states that "our brain is modified on a substantial scale, physically and functionally, each time we learn a new skill or develop a new ability,". This provides a clear indication that internet disrupts mental disorientation of brain cells. Merzenich concluded that "our brains are massively remodeled by this exposure." In a broader perspective, internet shapes the human brain.
Carr claims that "If knowing what we know today about the brain's plasticity, you were to set out to invent a medium that would rewire our mental circuits as quickly and thoroughly as possible, you would probably end up designing something that looks and works a lot like the internet." The concept of brain-plasticity presented by Carr is used to depict that human brain is flexible and is being interrupted by too much of digital media content. This quotation broadens the concept that human brain is disoriented by media exposure. Carr argues that multitasking which emanates from watching video content which shifts from one scene to another contributes to the development of attention deficiency among the people.
Nicholas Carr states "I've had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory", in this context, Carr implies that internet changes how implies that internet changes how implies that internet changes how human brain function. The concept of remapping and rewiring advocated by Carr portrays that human brain is not static but is dynamic and it evolves especially it is exposed to new information. Carr disapproves the notions and misconceptions which were widely held in the past that human brain does not change, but is only influenced by age of an individual.
A study conducted by Gabbiadini reveals that excessive exposure to violent video content on the internet changes human perspective towards violent. Gabbiadini et al assert that internet makes people think that violent acts are normal things. A research conducted by Valkenburg and Taylor reveals that violent video content which is viewed on the internet changes the chemical and physical structure of the human brain. Valkenburg and Taylor argue that internet and especially which expose an individual to violent content destroys brain nucleus which plays the function of storing and retrieving the information. Valkenburg and Taylor further argue that internet reroute people's neural pathways.
A well-research study conducted by Elson and Christopher reveals that using internet for long and especially watching violent video games erode people's sense of empathy towards others in the society. Elson and Christopher believe that internet consumption for too long triggers vengeance, aggression, and violent makes human beings to think that violent, aggression, and vengeance are rewarded. Rather than maintaining the stable states of mind, it is clear from the argument by Elson and Christopher that internet harms the human brain.
A study conducted by Media Psychology reveals that internet contributes to Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). The IAD is harmful to the brain because it contributes to the development of anxiety, addictions, and shivers which are harmful to the brain. The study by Media Psychology further reveals that internet reduces the sleeping time to human beings. As a result, it causes Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). ADD is harmful to a human being because it makes people face difficulty in controlling their behaviors which in turns may damage an individual reputation and image.
The nexus between violent behaviors and internet exposure has been established. A study conducted by Jung et al reveals that too much exposure to internet content and especially with violent content, the prefrontal portions of a human being eroded. The study further reveals that too much exposure to internet content triggers activation of the amygdala. The activation of amygdala triggers emotional behavior in a person. As a result of emotional behavior, a person acts in a violent way.
A well-research study conducted by Lobel to examine the correlation between addition and internet content reveals that too much exposure to the internet and especially among the children makes the internet to act as a de facto brain. As a result, too much exposure to internet human brain will not function properly without the support of internet. The study by Lobel further establishes that internet reduces the white substances in the brain. When the white matter is reduced, the brain will face difficulty in storing and retrieving of the information. It is clear from the study conducted by Lobel that internet reduces the brain capacity. In a nutshell, the cognitive thinking of an individual gets eroded with too much exposure to internet content.
Various studies have also established that internet content erodes human memory, concentration, and capacity to hold deep thoughts. In the past, it was widely held that as people aged, connections in the human brain become static. Researchers have established that human brain never stops evolving through learning. The phenomenon of neuroplasticity justifies the fact that human brain changes with learning. It underpins the fact that internet inhibits human being to systemically encode and decode information after a long period.
A 2011 experiment issued by Science Magazine reveals that college students remembered less information when they believe that same information can be accessed on the internet. The experiment further reveals that neuroimaging of frequent internet users depicts twice as much activity in the short term as compared to sporadic users du...