Well, technology have created a new world where we are supposed to meet other peoples... a little like the idea of internet in ghost of a shell. As frightening it sound to be, I think we should go even further to discover where the human imagination can go.

At the same time, doing it may represent sacrificing a part of our humanity. I did this sacrifice a long time ago...

Maybe it is just me, but this should be common knowledge, as well as "cell phones cause brain cancer"

That sounds like what they said about TV and I am sure some newspaper articles said the same thing about radio as well. Sure there will be those like what the article is worried about, however history has shown the vast majority of people do not become that way cause we learn to adapt and use the technology that best fits our individual lives. In the long run this will be like what they said decades ago when the TV came out.

"He even added that we're short-circuiting our brains by using spell-checkers or contact lists that sore telephone numbers. " - Looks like he didn't use spell check...

tech what? I forgot what I was typing... Owell

Yeah, I was about to Oh look a penny!

He did use spell-check but his brain was too short-circuted to proof-read. But seriously, spell-check is pretty useful most times as I couldn't remember every spelling before either and contact lists have kept me from having to remember a long list of phone numbers which I kept in a little black book previously anyway.

Technology may or may not lead to a bunch of things.

It all depends on how you use technology. I have been teaching computer/multi-media for 22 years now, and the technology does not cause ADD/ADHD. What causes it, is when parents let their kids sit in front of a monitor for hours on end playing mindless games. Kids need to get out, get dirty, and breath some fresh air. The latest research I have read states that kids should spend a max of about 90 minutes a day playing games. Sounds reasonable.

Kids who know how to use technology properly and don't let it dominate their lives are incredibly intelligent. As with anything...learn to use it in moderation.

There is something going on. My generation did not have ADD/ADHD, etc. I have also noticed that 20 years ago kids could write good computer code. Today? Hah, it is a joke. They cannot even do simple action script. This concerns me as far as our technological potential is concerned. Maybe it will all be reduced to a GUI app someday...out with the code, and in with the images.

But, technology is a great tool for education.

The thing is Facebook and twitter weren't there first , the rest of technology that WANTED our attention span was.

ADD has already been shown to be more influenced by genetics than anything else.

Disclaimer/proof: My brother, aunt and I at least have ADD. I also dont use twitter or facebook.

tl;dr

"The article even goes on to describe one woman who must drink a glass a wine to ease her anxiety from being away from the computer"

That's because she is an alcoholic...

Environmental factors will trigger a genetic predisposition. Put a person in the healthy environment, and they will not show any signs of ADD.

I have ADHD and I would have to say that technolgy has helped it. Normally I couldn't do multiple things because I would forget where I left off or what I was doing on my previous task (one of the symptoms).

Spellcheck is also a bad example. I use it all the time and after mis-spelling a word I tend to remember how to spell it so I find it easier than going to a damn dictionary/thesaurus to find out how to spell a word.

ADD today, efficiency and productivity tomorrow.

Really. Then how am I able to read multiple multi-page articles in their entirety? (here and on other sites like the New York Times)

I disagree with a few of your statements. One part is there definately was cases of ADD/ADHD back as far as you can think of and it was probably passed off as "that is just a stupid or lazy kid".

Video games also do not cause ADD as well, actually you think it would help you focus. This is comming from a 25 year old gamer who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. I also do all my automotive work.

As for kids nowadays writing good code... sounds like you have stupid kids or kids who are not interested in it. As for writing code, as they say it isn't for everyone. Personally I can write code (pretty good at that) however I can't do it for lengthy periods of time or I get bored/annoyed at it. Highly doubt they will go to all GUI based designs because you would still have to write the background code for that GUI interface.

After going through public school and college it definately is apparent that the public school system is a old wore out broken system. They don't teach that each individual has different study habbits and that everyone has to find out their own learning traits.

That depends what school you go to. The school I went to was small so a teacher could spend more time with individual students. But now schools are getting so big, yet nobody wants to pay more taxes for more teachers/schools.. So.. How do we fix this..

Let's pretend for a moment that this article is right and that we are indeed gonna lose some skills because for the sake of technology. We have already lost the skill to kill sabertooth tigers with a rock on a stick. Do we miss that skill? The loss of a skill usually comes with the loss of use. But the loss of use also comes with the loss of need.

Anyway, if anything, the use of technology gave us more skills than it took from us. Like the ability for the brain to reject publicity from a web page or e-mail and the ability to assimilate and referenciate information in a millisecond. I'm telling you, the internet is legen... wait for it...

Yeah i think that applies to me. I especially cant concentrate when working on the computer

Well, when I use Twitter, I click the link in the posts that I read, and, a whole article pops up for me to read. The 140 characters to me is just enough to fit a title and a link, perfect to aggregate news and say a few things back to the authors of the news.

Anyway, technology is pretty much going to keep doing this, since, convinience, speed, efficiency and the like are good for us humans. Nobody needs to sit through a 10 million step long division, and nobody needs to read and understand how to assemble a space shuttle, this is the domain of technology.

I'm more willing to bet the lack of attention span is more due to a change in language causing people to feel unable to focus on the meaning of a script, and not a problem with the attention span of the reader. Improve literacy I say.

I disagree. I think technology is being used as an excuse for peoples lack of motivation to actually pay attention. Considering that adhd/add is moving away from the "bad parenting" scenario they just now have a new excuse.

I was diagnosed with adhd when i was 4 years old. I was put on dexidrine spansule capsules. no horror stories, it simply worked. my diet was fine, my environment was fine, everything was just fine. I was attentive and could actually calm down long enough to do things.

i guess people cannot be content with the fact that its a legitament neurological disorder. We can make up excuse after excuse.

Maybe depressed people should just fu*king get over it? I'm sure that disorder is a little more common though.

Michael Jackson dominated dirty kids.

Is it just me or wasn't or does this contradict a previous tom's article: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Twitte [...] -4605.html which was a commentary of this: http://www.newscientist.com/articl [...] r-you.html

It's good for you, it's bad for you...which is it? And if the answer is that it increases one skill at the expense of another, that does not make it inherently bad, the overall effect would be neutral would it not?

haha, I already had ADD before tech, so this doesn't worry me!!!!!1!!11!

Where would this world be without something ELSE to worry about. What was I talking about? Oh, piece of candy. Oh, piece of candy. Oh, piece of candy.

I love these "master of the obvious" studies.

i would finish reading this but i got 5 new tweets.

I would imagin most Twitter users have shorter attention spans due to Twitter attracting that sort of user in the first place. No doubt in a few years they'll publish a study showing Twitter "causes" short attention, when in fact it is merely the medium that attracts those predisposed to this format.

What you have to rememeber is that Jane Austen wrote a huge rant in her first novel "Northanger Abbey" about all the ridiculous FUD people were saying about Novels. Back then people were saying the same things about Novels that people are now saying about the internet or computer games. In the late 1800s they said the same things about radio. In the 1950s-1980s they were saying the same things about TV.

I call BS.

too long; didn't read