I had a modern moment of being shocked by an overshare today on Facebook, in one of those "Even More Things About Me" lists, when someone I knew from school years ago briefly described a personal tragedy that should not (in my opinion) have been so casually dropped in a list viewable by everyone she knows. Is it possible to quit the Facebook, or is that not allowed?
Which brings us to the Facebook/ Twitter/ general social media news item of the day. A neuroscientist for Oxford is urging the government to think of the children when regulating the Internet, The Guardian reported. She told the House of Lords that growing up with social media sites could lead to adults with "a much more marked preference for the here-and-now, where the immediacy of an experience trumps any regard for the consequences."
Social network friendships "are devoid of cohesive narrative and long-term significance. As a consequence, the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilized, characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity".
Also, as children read less novels in favor of the immediate thrills of video games, she sees a loss of empathy. She also speculates whether the changeover to all-technology, all the time is related to the simultaneous increase in cases of ADD.
The article is a fascinating read, not to be summed up in a few tweets.
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