Bruce Hood - The Domesticated Brain - A Pelican Introduction (Pelican Books)

Still, for many people, the Internet is something to be feared. As with any new technologies, from the printing press to the radio, there is always anxiety that change is not good because outcomes are unpredictable. Technopanic is a term that captures the fears about the way the Internet is changing the way humans behave. 4The British neuroscientist Susan Greenfield warns that the Internet is wreaking ir-revocable damage on our children’s developing brains because they are not using the communication skills that were honed over evolution. 5Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist famous for his Stanford Prison study, tells us that the widespread availability of online pornography is leading to the ‘demise of guys’, who are now unable to inhibit their sexual compulsions and failing to learn how to interact appropriately with women. 6In the UK in 2013, the Coalition government looked into regulating Internet searches for sexual content despite the lack of any clear evidence that it is a problem. 7We read of extreme cases of online addiction to virtual communities or gaming where individuals play for days on end, sometimes leading to the deaths of themselves and even their own children that they have neglected. 8

All of these sensationalist headlines seem to be hysterical technopanic based on scant evidence or simply anecdotal reports. There has not been enough time to conduct the proper analysis to fully test the claims in this fast-changing world of information technology. However, one only has to consider world poverty or climate change to realize that Internet addiction is one of the least of our worries. But all of us, especially those who remember the pre-Internet days, cannot fail to be astounded by the blistering pace of change and the uncertain future it will create. It is easy to appreciate why those fearful of change consider the Internet as a force for evil.

As a parent of two teenage girls, I am less concerned by the threats that the Internet seems to pose for the future of our children. I do not believe that the Internet will doom them to compassionless relationships. Rather, as I watch them use the Internet for social networking, it is clear that they are enjoying much greater freedom and an exposure to a greater diversity of ideas than was previously possible. No wonder that oppressive regimes try to suppress and control the Internet to prevent their own citizens getting the ‘wrong’ ideas.

For all its benefits, however, it would be foolhardy not to consider how the Internet will change the way we interact and the potential problems this may entail. Humans bring a legacy of our evolutionary past to this brave new world where social interactions in the future are likely to be very different. Our species was not adapted to this digital environment, and how we behave will probably change as a result of this complex interaction between our biology, psychology and technology in ways that we are still trying to unravel.

To begin, rather than seeking approval from a few select friends in person, it is clear that we will increasingly be influenced by the group. For example, SNS can generate appreciation and validation from large numbers on the Internet. This is especially true of Twitter, which is effectively open texting to the world. Twitter provides the opportunity to monitor, and be monitored by, anyone almost completely anonymously. Even though these interactions are virtual, studies show that acceptance and rejection can be just as emotionally charged on the Internet as such encounters in real life. 9

So what are we doing on these SNS? The short answer is talking about ourselves. During normal conversation, we spend about 30–40 per cent of the time talking about ourselves, which according to brain-imaging studies makes us feel good. 10The brain regions associated with rewards and pleasures are activated when describing our experiences. On the Internet we take this self-obsession to the extreme. Over 80 per cent of the posts on SNS are about the poster. Already, we seem to be hooked. A study of over 1,000 Swedish Facebook subscribers found that the average user logs on to the site six times per day, spending an average seventy-five minutes – women more than men. 11One in four report that they feel uneasy when they cannot access SNS. We love to talk about ourselves, which is why SNS are such an enticing opportunity. Here we seem oblivious to the social barriers or restraints about how much you can go on and on about yourself.

When SNS first appeared they offered the opportunity to enable people to connect and keep in touch – something that was increasingly compromised in a society where people were living busy lives that often forced them to move on to new pastures. SNS offer a chance for those who are isolated to make new friends or keep in contact with others that have moved on. However, true friends are few and making acquaintances on SNS hardly offers the same experience. Moreover, there are drawbacks to exposing yourself to a vast audience with whom there is no direct face-to-face interaction and the strength of friendship is weak.

Ironically, one major danger of too many friends may be damage to self-esteem. Contrary to expectations, SNS do not help those with low self-esteem by giving them a platform to express themselves without the pressure of social anxiety that real encounters can generate. Rather, they amplify their problems. The trouble with individuals with low self-esteem is that they talk more openly about the negative aspects of their lives and personality, which are not appealing topics of conversation for those on the Internet. The irony is that they may feel more secure in revealing things about themselves on SNS, but the rest of us do not want to hear how bad their lives are, which leads us to push them away. 12

We are so self-obsessed that we tend to only pay attention to the information that relates to us. When you accumulate large numbers of friends on SNS, this is a tangible measure of popularity. When someone of high status, such as a celebrity, follows you on Twitter, then you can bask in their reflected glory as someone worthy of their attention. 13The whole SNS phenomenon may have originally been intended to share experiences and opinions, but has become a mechanism for narcissism.

‘Selfies’ are the latest craze – posting pictures of ourselves so that others can look at us. Even at the memorial ceremony for Nelson Mandela, heads of state were taking selfies. A 2013 poll by Samsung, one of the manufacturers of the ubiquitous camera phones, revealed that selfies accounted for 30 per cent of pictures taken by eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds. 14On Facebook, the largest of the SNS, its users click ‘Like’ 2.7 billion times and share 300 million photographs per day. 15This can lead to an inflated sense of self-esteem, boosted by all the ‘Like’s, positive comments or recommendations that others bestow upon us. This concern for what others think can also lead to extremism caused by polarization. If we only listen to those who agree with us, then the tendency will be to become more certain of our opinions, intolerant to criticism or, worse still, to become more radical in order to be seen to be more forthright. 16

Some individuals use SNS to bully and harass. Already there has been a spate of teenage suicides attributed to cyberbullying, though it is not clear whether this reflects a significant increase in this troubled age group. 17We can also become indignant and intolerant of others more easily on the Internet than in a real-life encounter. Somehow, like the road rage that we have all witnessed or experienced when drivers are isolated in their cars, people behave differently when they are not in a face-to-face situation. The Internet is a place to vent anger or take revenge on others from the comfort of our own home. Nobody likes to be criticized, but criticism can be particularly painful on the Internet because it is such a public arena. What were once local and personal grievances that could be settled by a measured response or gesture can escalate into dramas broadcast to the world to reveal the sense of injustice the injured party feels.