Respond the essay with 6 Qs

Chris Wynn

Devito

Eng 102-1100

2/24/17

Twitter Wiring: How Twitter is Changing Our Brains

The idea that social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others is causing us to believe we don’t really exist unless we exist in these digital forms and that we are starting to lose our empathy is exactly right because our brains are changing in response to the feeling we get while using this new technology.

In the article “I Tweet, Therefore I Am: Life in The Hall of Mirrors”, author Andrew Lam mentions stories of young adolescents doing shameful things like luring a girl to their home and recording her being beat and then posting the video on Youtube, or how a young woman tweeted leading up until her murder about how she had a stalker and how she was worried. Lam mentions, “ We are beginning to believe that we do not fully exist without some sort of electronic imprint in the virtual world, a digital projection of ourselves, a validation of our existence (Dialogues 551).”

This technology and use of social media is having an impact on our brains. Just like how our brains react to things we like, they react to Twitter. Every time a person get a “like” or a “retweet”, a part of their brain becomes active. According to the New York Times, “ Scientists say the constant use of computers and cellular telephones is causing a significant, evolutionary shift in our brains wiring (Dialogues 541).” Lam mentions this in his article to show that our brains are responding to this use of social media and technology in our daily lives. A CNN article written by Susie East entitled, “Teens: This is How Social Media Affects Your Brain” also supports this claim. East mentions researchers at a University of California Los Angeles brain mapping center who used a scanner to monitor the brains of 32 teenagers. Essentially, what they found was that every time one of the teens pictures was liked, the reward center of their brain activated. When we are seeing basically a reward for the pictures, videos and messages we post online, it is wiring our brain to want to continue to do it.

Another point Lam makes in his article is that with this change in our brain, we are losing our empathy. Lam states, “ One of the most troubling consequences of devoting so much attention to the virtual world is the death of empathy (Dialogues 541).” Lam also gives a specific example of our loss of empathy, a few years back, popular scientist Bill Nye or as many know him, Bill Nye the Science Guy from fun science class videos in school, collapsed on a stage while giving a presentation due to exhaustion. The LA Times and other media outlets reported that instead of those there to view the presentation going and helping Mr. Nye, they took out their phones and documented the incident for social media. Many instances like this pop up on your timeline or newsfeed while your on social media. You will see pictures of car accidents, videos of fights in a Walmart parking lot or sometimes just a status update of how a person noticed an incident that could have used some of their empathy but instead they did nothing and just really needed to update their status on Facebook.

Many will argue that there is no issue with how they use social media like Twitter or Facebook and that the wiring of their brain is fine and they could stop using it whenever they wanted to. Some also argue that the benefits far outweigh the consequences. Of course, we can all agree that communication has become one of the main functions of these social media outlets and it is great to have this way of reaching out to friends and family members. However, just like people who have an issue with smoking or drinking, which also affects the wiring of the brain, we say we can quit whenever we want yet we don’t. Whenever we see something or someone in distress, its become instinct instead to immediately help them, to pull out our phones and take pictures and video of what is happening. In our head, we would like to think that we would not be that person but in reality, we are becoming exactly that. The science is there to back it up and facts are facts. While we do not know the full extent of the long term affects this change to our brain wiring will have, it is clearly evident it is causing a change.

In the end, Lams article “I Tweet, Therefore I am: Life in the Hall of Mirrors” shows us that the effects of social media on our brain is becoming a serious issue. The feedback and likes we receive from what we post is causing areas of our brain to light up under a brain mapping scanner according to Susie East’s article from CNN. Collectively, we are losing our empathy for our fellow human beings. While there is no doubt of the benefits from this digital age and social media, we need to be asking ourselves, is it worth it?

East, Susie. "Teens: This is how social media affects your brain." CNN. 01 08 2016.

Lam, Andrew. "I Tweet, Therefore I Am: Life in the Hall of Mirrors." Krueger, Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen. Dialogues. Pearson, 2015. 539-542.