Infomania 26 April 2005

The April 22 issue of The Times of London contains an article (“Why Texting Harms Your IQ”) which says researchers claim the excessive use of SMS and e-mail temporarily lowers the IQ of users. I am afraid addiction to those information technologies (referred to as “infomania”) leads to permanent brain impairments – similar to the ones underlying various learning disabilities. One of the most depressing experiences for me on a Sunday morning is to walk into our neighborhood internet club and see scores of 10-12 year olds sitting transfixed before computer screens projecting fast-moving images and pulsating sounds into their brains.