The internet has not only changed how we access information. Yes, it also changed how humans behave, communicate, and relate with one another. Part of the digital age is also the evolving habits of this generation. In just a few decades, the internet has rewired our patterns of behavior, and here are 10 social habits that prove it.
10. Social Validation
Social media has given users the power to place a high value on online personas and how they’re perceived. We have this motivation to stay and engage for the sake of likes and followers. We’re also led to believe that everyone except us has a perfect life, making us chase after illusions.
9. News Consumption
Before the internet, we used to consume our news at a specific time. However, today, we receive breaking news and updates immediately on our phones. We also see people’s opinions about the issue, which allows us to interact with them. This 24/7 news cycle has created an information overload for us.
8. Children’s Development
Today, kids carry their tablets instead of the toys that we once carried. This also prompts changes in the behaviors of young children with developmental delays, attention span, and socialization. This also reduces the time spent on activities that involve physical movement. This could be alarming for the future generation’s growth.
7. Work-Life Boundaries
One of the biggest benefits of the internet is that employees can work remotely. This allows them to work overtime at their discretion. However, this blurs the boundaries between work and personal life. Since they can work anywhere, this creates an expectation of their availability, and work demands can intrude on their personal time.
6. Reading and Information Processing
This constant internet search behavior can contribute to fragmented attention and everyday distraction. Engagement with digital media actually decreases our cognitive capacity as it reduces our ability to ignore distractions. It means we’ve shifted from deep reading to skimming and scanning.
5. Curated Identity
Since teenagers don’t share the same concerns about privacy as their parents, they often give away personal information. But they adjust this according to the audience they want to impress. Everything has a purpose, whether it is to appear cool or well-read, and they perform this to get the attention of that crowd.
4. Memory and Knowledge
The internet also changed how we retrieve, store, and value knowledge. This digital offloading of information allows our brain to be more economical with its resources, as it frees them from the responsibility of memory. However, this reliance on the internet makes us less inclined to try to remember things that must be stored in our brains. All we have are the photos posted that remind us of that summer trip we took two years ago.
3. Attention and Concentration
The constant flow of information also influenced how we think, process, and focus. This reduces our attention spans, which makes deep concentration a difficult task. Since we’re accustomed to information instantly appearing, we expect our brains to do the same. That’s the internet training us to expect immediate gratification.
2. Communication Nuance
Before the internet, communication was limited to letters and face-to-face conversations. Today, instant messaging and social media have made it possible for us to connect with anyone at any time. However, this lacks the nuance of an actual interaction that may lead to misunderstandings or conflict. It’s as if we’ve traded communication for a convenient but limited exchange. There’s no longer any sense of body language and tone.
1. How We Maintain Friendships
While no man is an island, humans are starting to make their devices and the internet their own companions. This works in a way wherein we have all social media accounts, and we grow our follower counts from this. Let’s say you belong to a community that has the same interests as you, then that’s an instant friendship. However, this may limit our ability to experience the world and interact with real-world crowds, especially in children.