So I've just read that social networking sites may be changing participants brains as well as their social lives. Evidently such conclusions have been reached as a result of examining 3D brain scans of 125 university students from London. Is that really a significant sample? Was it really necessary? How many people with brain tumours were denied diagnostic access as a result?
Nevertheless guess what ? They conclude there's a link between the number of Facebook friends a person has and the size of certain parts of the brain........uh huh. And if you have more real life friends, then you are likely to have more Facebook friends. ....uuuuh huuuh. What's that got to do with the internet changing brains? Probably nothing but who cares?
A more useful useful study might have been to compare the brain changing force of watching Muffin the Mule back in the sixties, with watching Bob the Builder today. But wait ! I wonder how complicated Muffin the Mule might present to some of today's academic researchers? Best start with Bill and Ben and work back.
No. I'm sorry UCL. Whilst I'm pleased that the Wellcome Trust came up trumps and funded things for you, I'm overjoyed it didn't cost me or other taxpayers so much as a brain cell; well I don't think it did.
Call me crassly impertinent, but the whole subject seems to have been a complete waste of time and, but for the publicity, a complete waste of money. I'm going to break it to you gently....
Of course the internet changes the way we think, the way we behave and so on; if you prefer, it changes our brains. You don't need research to reach that conclusion. Anyone with half an intellect can figure it out.
On a more positive note I'm told you've always done quite well in University Challenge. Well done !
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