How Digital Technology Shapes Us By: Indre Viskontas [Audiobook]

Author: Indre Viskontas, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Professor Indre Viskontas

Most adults are concerned that children have much too much technology in their lives these days and are spending way too much time on screens. But as Professor Indre Viskontas points out in How Digital Technology Shapes Us, we are not the first to worry that new technology will harm our children and future generations. At least since the beginning of recorded history, we have been underestimating the capacity of the human brain to adapt to and take advantage of emerging technologies. In this course, Professor Viskontas shares some of the most exciting research into this relatively new topic, providing a scientific approach to judging the true pros and cons of our interaction with technology in the digital age. 

Many of us believe we are adjusting well to this new digital technology with its constant demands on our time and attention by increasing our multitasking. But multitasking cannot save us because our brain is not capable of true multitasking. What we experience as multitasking is actually our brain flitting back and forth from this task to the next to the next to the next. That we can do, but in the process, we could be losing the ability – and opportunity – to perform deep work, the opportunity for deep reading, and the empathy that builds up when we think deeply about people who are different from us, to truly expand the tribe rather than reinforce tribalism. 

The good news is that just recognizing the significance of deep work and deep reading, we can make it a priority and arrange some time to focus on just that without distractions. If we do, those pathways that lead to deeper cognition can become reinforced. We can also help our children focus on the positives of digital media, empowering them to connect with others to find purpose, motivation, and support. We can spend time with them to encourage them to find opportunities for deep reading and deep work in age-appropriate ways. 

Digital technology definitely shapes us. But once we learn how it does so, we can make good decisions for our ourselves and our children.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

18M	TGC9764 S01E01 How Experience Alters the Brain.mp3
19M	TGC9764 S01E02 Are New Media Shortening Attention Spans^.mp3
19M	TGC9764 S01E03 Does the Internet Make Us Shallow Thinkers^.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E04 Outsourcing Our Memory.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E05 Human versus Digital Content Curators.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E06 Virtual Realities and Our Sense of Self.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E07 Screen Time's Impact on Kids.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E08 Video Games and Violence.mp3
19M	TGC9764 S01E09 Is Digital Technology Ruining Sleep^.mp3
17M	TGC9764 S01E10 How 'Dr. Google' Is Changing Medicine.mp3
19M	TGC9764 S01E11 The Virtual Therapist.mp3
18M	TGC9764 S01E12 How Big Data Can Predict the Future.mp3
18M	TGC9764 S01E13 Is Privacy Dead in the Information Age^.mp3
17M	TGC9764 S01E14 The Emotional Effects of Social Media.mp3
17M	TGC9764 S01E15 How Online Dating Transforms Relationships.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E16 Technology and Addiction.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E17 Is the Internet Hurting Democracy^.mp3
19M	TGC9764 S01E18 The Arts in the Digital Era.mp3
19M	TGC9764 S01E19 How AI Can Enhance Creativity.mp3
19M	TGC9764 S01E20 Do We Trust Algorithms over Humans^.mp3
16M	TGC9764 S01E21 Could Blockchain Revolutionize Society^.mp3
20M	TGC9764 S01E22 Effects of Technological Metaphors on Science.mp3
18M	TGC9764 S01E23 Robots and the Future of Work.mp3
22M	TGC9764 S01E24 Redefining What It Means to Be Human.mp3
443M	total