In case you’ve run out of things to worry about, a British scientist has raised concerns about whether social-networking sites could be harmful to your social health. But other reports indicate new ways that social networking can expand relationships.
Oxford University neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, in a debate in the House of Lords, asked if such pastimes are changing the way brains function, shortening attention spans, and possibly even contributing to the rise of autism. Greenfield is a member of the House of Lords, where she holds the title of baroness.
‘A Bit of Clinical Evidence’
“Perhaps given the brain is so impressionable,” Greenfield said, it’s possible that “screen life” is creating a more “infantilized lifestyle,” adding that Facebook and similar sites might create short attention spans. She acknowledged, however, that she did not possess any scientific research to back up her musings, and that it was “based on a little bit of neuroscience, observations, a bit of clinical evidence.”
Greenfield noted that “there is no one single or conclusive killer fact,” although she did report that a teacher acquaintance has noticed a decline in her students’ ability to relate to others.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Greenfield grouped Facebook, MySpace and similar sites with fast-paced TV shows and video games. “My fear,” she told the newspaper, “is that these technologies are infantilizing the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention and who live for the moment.” She told the House of Lords that this kind of behavior, once recognized, can be described as attention deficit disorder.
A spokesperson for Facebook told news media that the company had not seen any scientific research to back up Greenfield’s musings.
Brad Shimmin, an analyst with Current Analysis, described her warnings as based on…