How the Internet Redesigns your Mind | Choose your Default Mode

This video is about the choice we constantly have to make throughout the day now that we have the internet in our pockets.

(The irony of me inviting you to follow me on the platform I just ridiculed for promoting distractibility in people is doing well. I fed and put him to bed.)

The point of the video is to encourage people to be mindful of how they use the internet, as what information you put into your minds is important just like the food you put in your stomach. It's a fantastic tool so there's no need to "quit" it, just be aware of how it affects you.

[devonrusinek]

It's sad when you realize that you've watched so much YouTube that you come back to videos that you thumbed-up without even realizing you've seen the video

[wildchild]

We hunger for knowledge. The internet is fast food. Mostly junk food.

[bryanyong]

Summary :
1. Similar to a magical device that can either create nutritional food or cocaine, with your phone, you can choose to obtain valuable knowledge from the internet or just scroll through Reddit and waste time.
2. You might be teaching your brain that your phone is a tool to enjoy instant gratification and enhance distractibility, thus the default mode of the brain is preventing you from focusing on tasks for a long time.
3. When you're constantly distracted while learning, the information doesn't get the chance to trickle from the short term memory to the long term memory, thus making learning more difficult.
4. Similar to cocaine, not only that the internet rewires the reward centre of the brain to crave it, but it also damages the dendrites of neurons in the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for executive control, thus decreasing the ability to stay rational, maintain focus and exert willpower when doing tasks.

[wBolette]

being taught how to navigate the the internet should SERIOUSLY be a mandatory subject in school, just like we are taught to be careful in traffic and have safe sex. it's an amazing tool, but it's necessary to be aware of the downfalls

also considering how vital a tool a computer will be in most peoples lives, it's strange that it isn't a mandatory subject in school already. by not spreading awareness, it's like producing a generation of people that will all have to drive a car every day for the rest of their lives, but that were never taught to stop for a red light. and unlike in traffic, they won't die or anything, the consequence will be lazy and ineffective people that will seriously struggle both mentally and physically. by getting depressed and fat. which is sorta shit right, and which we're already kinda seeing right

anyway good video! thanks for sharing! i'm totally addicted to youtube and it's an issue, but i'm very aware and trying to work on it

[izpFhKOcFnB]

My newest find. You make incredible content. Ever since I found your channel almost a week back, my LIFE has undergone a SEA of change. I've cut back on sugar, started practicing mindfulness and started running more. This is exactly what I like, Science based, Evidence backed FACTS that have a REAL impact on your life. Thank you!

[hugedoofus]

You have no idea how difficult it was not to switch tabs during this video

[rapidfart]

I am addicted to the comment sections...

[jessieg.]

"what have i been doing the last 30 minutes?" ye right 30 minutes ... more like 30 days

[PetraKujundzic]

Shared your video on sugar with my brother, who is not even slightly overweight, he stopped eating sugar, shared your video on sleep with my insomniac friend, she's doing better already. Please keep up the good work, you really are making a positive impact on peoples lives.

[cheaminks]

A phone isn't as distracting when you have no friends

[WILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLU]

Thank you YouTube recommended for letting me know I’m destroying my brain with the internet

[bennytroung]

This channel is part of the intellectually-nourishing part of the net.

[dtd]

Seriously though, this is outstanding material. I wish my psychology classes were as practical, entertaining and to the point as your videos are. I get more practical, real world realisations and knowledge from these videos than I have ever gotten from a textbook. You are a really switched on dude and your videos are helping a lot of people change their lives in huge ways. Thanks.

[rjg]

How would you reverse these effects? Is it as simple as going cold turkey and focusing on long term objectives? A follow up would be helpful.

The effects you mention are very noticeable in me because of my recent circumstance. I'm near enough an isolated test subject. I cooked every meal, worked out with a regime I researched and read books regularly. After 6 months with an illness being bed ridden, I used my phone more than ever consuming shallow distraction media. Now I'm free to go outside again it feels like I've developed ADHD, I have seriously low willpower and focusing on a book or a task that takes more than 5 minutes has me craving to open IG, Twitter or Sport articles to scroll through. In this short time I've had a concentrated change in daily life. It is genuinely noticeable.

[BenjaminBjornsen]

I'm so addicted to the Internet I get depressed when its gone, and I get this angst drumming trough my body every time I lose it just for a minute.

[brettwintersmusic]

Something I did recently is remove internet from my living space. This does a number of things:
-Eliminates a lot of the distractedness that comes from internet browsing
-Saves tons of money
-I focus on high-priority tasks to make the most of limited time on library internet
-Creates space in my day for activities that I value more, e.g. reading, writing, creative stuff.

Clutch video, by the way. I love the cube analogy!

[zxtek]

I'm not addicted to the internet! *ten hours later still in youtube commenting randomly and forgot to study for his exam*

[Joniwus]

The funny thing is i watched this video while i was doing other things. I might have to watch it again because i didn´t get the point

[tofidu]

Your videos are so brilliant. I feel like all these "mindlessly spent hours " on youtube are, in the end, worth of something, at least i found your channel.

[TheEternityForce]

My mom has said how dizzy she gets watching me switch tab to tab. Sometimes I'm between 10 or more. Yet she can only focus on one. But outside of the internet, the roles of reversed; I have to focus on just one thing, all my attention and hard work goes into that. Where as my mom, she can multitask and gets upset if I'm not quick as her or I'm too busy with one task to pay attention to another.