With smartphones, tablets and other computers at the fingertips of more than three billion people worldwide, the way humans retrieve and retain information has undergone a dramatic shift over the last two decades.
It wasn鈥檛 so long ago that society relied on traditional means like encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases and other reference books to gather information and answer important questions.
But the rapid growth and evolution of digital technology has rendered many of these resources all but obsolete.
Christopher Schneider, an associate professor of sociology at Brandon University, said research has shown that quick and simple access to facts and figures has significantly altered the way human beings gather and retain information.
鈥淭here is evidence that our accessibility to information through sources like Google, Wikipedia, etc., has diminished our memories and power of recall,鈥� said Schneider, a former assistant professor at UBC Okanagan in 91大黄鸭.
鈥淭he rationale of scholars is that we can always retrieve the information quickly and easily, and so we鈥檙e less likely to retain it because the need is essentially no longer there.鈥�
Schneider said many researchers suggest the ongoing changes in technology represent 鈥渙ne of the most important shifts in the human experience since the industrial revolution.鈥�
He said the jury remains out on whether this massive shift towards technology will have positive or negative long-term effects on society.
To help explain the shift, Schneider refers to 鈥榙igital natives鈥� and 鈥榙igital immigrants,鈥� terms used by author Marc Prensky to describe the societal split in the use of technology.
The 鈥榥atives鈥� are those people who grew up immersed in the digital age, while the 鈥榠mmigrants鈥欌�攇enerally 35 to 40 years and older鈥攁re those who have had to adjust to advances in technology on the fly.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 fully understand the consequences of this shift, whether it鈥檚 good or bad or in between, but there鈥檚 a cultural clash happening,鈥� said Schneider.
鈥淒igital immigrants are those in charge of our dominant institutions, like Parliament, the RCMP, doctors and lawyers, so there鈥檚 some fear of natives and a bit of a divide there.
鈥淭he excitement comes from natives, the young people who are in schools, labs and tech companies who are designing a new digital world for us, making the globe a smaller place.
鈥淥ne day, natives will occupy all those positions of authority.
鈥淥n the flip side, is technology going to make us more isolated than ever?鈥� he added.
鈥淏ecause we are in the middle of it right now, it remains to be seen whether it will be good or bad.鈥�
Social impacts
In addition to changing the way people access information, Schneider said newer technologies have also had an impact on how we interact with others, including in social situations.
鈥淓ven things like parties, when you get together with a group of friends, your high school buddies, you reminisce, talk and tell stories鈥he dynamics of that has changed, too,鈥� Schneider said.
鈥淲hat happens now, when a subject comes up, is who can pull out their smartphone first and find the answer to the question.
鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting and difficult to say how it will impact us socially in the long-term.鈥�
On the subjects of emotional growth and the general well-being of people, Schneider said the new digital age raises some interesting questions.
In some instances, the use of social media may be serving as a replacement for more traditional forms of human interaction.
鈥淲e know how important it is, from the beginning, the love and touch of a human being, to be held and cared for,鈥� he said.
鈥淲ith technology, there seems to be less and less face-to-face and touching.
鈥淲e can be social with Facebook and other digital media without human contact.
鈥淎re we going to be more connected than ever and better informed, or are we going to be a nation of sociopaths.
鈥淚t鈥檚 scary and daunting and exciting all at the same time鈥nd we just don鈥檛 know.鈥�
