The Digital Expansion of the Mind: Implications of Internet Usage for Memory and Cognition
The internet is rapidly changing what information is available as well as how we find it and share it with others. Here we examine how this “digital expansion of the mind” changes cognition. We begin by identifying ten properties of the internet that likely affect cognition, roughly organized around internet content (e.g., the sheer amount of information available), internet usage (e.g., the requirement to search for information), and the people and communities who create and propagate content (e.g., people are connected in an unprecedented fashion). We use these properties to explain (or ask questions about) internet-related phenomena, such as habitual reliance on the internet, the propagation of misinformation, and consequences for autobiographical memory, among others. Our goal is to consider the impact of internet usage on many aspects of cognition, as people increasingly rely on the internet to seek, post, and share information.
Duke Scholars
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- 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
- 5202 Biological psychology
- 1702 Cognitive Sciences
- 1701 Psychology
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
- 5202 Biological psychology
- 1702 Cognitive Sciences
- 1701 Psychology