INTERNET and U

Facebook and Twitter

Facebook and Twitter have created a generation obsessed with themselves, who have short attention spans and a childlike desire for constant feedback on their lives, a top scientist believes.

Repeated exposure to social networking sites leaves users with an 'identity crisis', wanting attention in the manner of a toddler saying: 'Look at me, Mummy, I've done this.' Baroness Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, believes the growth of internet 'friendships' – as well as greater use of computer games – could effectively 'rewire' the brain. This can result in reduced concentration, a need for instant gratification and poor non-verbal skills, such as the ability to make eye contact during conversations.

HOW TRUE THIS IS....
 Smartphones

 A typical checking lasts less than 30 seconds and involves opening the screen lock and accessing a single application.
The researchers, from Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, were surprised to find users engaging in checking behaviours throughout the waking hours.
Lead researcher Antti Oulasvirta said: 'What concerns us here is that if your habitual response to, say, boredom, is that you pick up the phone to find interesting stimuli, you will be systematically distracted from the more important things happening around you.
'Habits are automatically triggered behaviours and compromise the more conscious control that some situations require.'
A sizable proportion of smartphone use consists solely of checkings, the team said.
Checkings do not occur randomly, but are associated with a small set of contexts that trigger them, such as reading email when commuting or checking news while bored.

'Studies are already starting to associate smartphone use to dire consequences like driving accidents and poor work-life balance'

Despite its prevalence, users did not regard checking behaviour as an addiction, but described it in terms of overuse and as an annoyance.
And scientists believe smartphone owner's checking habits may change in the near future as more and more informational 'rewards' are introduced.