Digital Age
Screens Seen as Potentially Dangerous, Addictive
by: Mitch Stewart That screen? The one you’re watching now. Or that other one, on your phone? Or the one you’ll watch later? It turns out mom was right, all these screens in modern life may really be rotting your brain. Researchers at University College London have proposed that excessive screen time can be a contributor to dementia in people over the age of 50. “Research suggests that television is a bit of unusual activity for the brain because you’ve got lots of bright and fast-moving images so your brain is very alert,” explained Dr. Fancourt from the UCL Institute
The Disenlightenment? Skepticism and Preposterous Claims in the Digital Age
By: Rowan Dunne Anti-vaxxers, flat-earthers, believers that shapeshifting reptiles rule the world! We aren’t just living in an era of high skepticism, it seems there’s no limit to the outrageous concepts and theories some people will believe these days. This semester I will be looking into what underlies the incredulity that seems to be pervasive in contemporary society. It is an especially timely topic given the COVID-19 pandemic and reactions to the measures imposed to counter it such as lockdowns, mask-wearing, and social distancing. Why given, all our scientific knowledge and capacity to acquire and crunch data are we so