Sifting through the cocktail of not only threat but opportunity these technologies afford, Greenfield explores how gaming enhances vision and motor control, how touch tablets aid students with developmental disabilities, and how political 'clicktivism' foments positive change. But Mind Change also delves into the potential benefits of our digital lifestyle. Stressing the impact on Digital Natives-those who've never known a world without the Internet-Greenfield exposes how neuronal networking may be affected by unprecedented bombardments of audiovisual stimuli, how gaming can shape a chemical landscape in the brain similar to that in gambling addicts, how surfing the Net risks placing a premium on information rather than on deep knowledge and understanding, and how excessive use of social networking sites limits the maturation of empathy and identity. But at what price? Now renowned neuroscientist Susan Greenfield-known in the United Kingdom for challenging entrenched conventional views-brings together a range of scientific studies, news events, and cultural criticism to create an incisive snapshot of 'the global now.' Disputing the assumption that our technologies are harmless tools, Greenfield explores whether incessant exposure to social media sites, search engines, and videogames is capable of rewiring our brains, and whether the minds of people born before and after the advent of the Internet differ. Our brave new technologies offer incredible opportunities for work and play. We live in a world unimaginable only decades ago: a domain of backlit screens, instant information, and vibrant experiences that can outcompete dreary reality.

Mind change susan greenfield