Since the introduction of personal computers in 1981, personal computing has exploded. 68.7% of the world’s population uses the internet (Datareportal, 2025). Not using the internet no longer remains an option, akin to riding on horseback on a six-lane highway.
The use of technology inadvertently leads to different forms of technology addiction. Below, a paper titled “Brain anatomy alterations associated with Social Networking Site (SNS) addiction”:
The brain areas highlighted, have a graph below it showing the grey matter (concentrated brain tissue, signifies good health) area related to Social Media Addiction Score:
- ACCMCC (Anterior/Mid Cingulate Cortex): this area is responsible for cognitive control and motivation. They found an increase of Grey Matter as addiction score rose– a surprising result. Possibly linked with the cognitive control required to operate such tools.
- Left and right amygdala: area responsible for emotions. Decrease of Grey Matter as addiction score rose.
(He et al. 2017)
Now, what does all of this tell us about how our brains are being shaped by technology?
Works Cited:
DataReportal. (2025, October 13). Digital around the world. https://datareportal.com/global-digital-overview
He, Q. et al. Brain anatomy alterations associated with Social Networking Site (SNS) addiction. Sci. Rep. 7, 45064; doi: 10.1038/srep45064 (2017).
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