Science News

Will constant access to the Internet make today's young people brilliant multitaskers or shallow, screen-bound hermits?

Does your smartphone keep you from living in the moment? As Nick Bilton watched a sunset off the coast of California, he realized he was incapable of enjoying the moment without documenting it on his smartphone. His reason? He didn't want to forget the beauty of the scenery. But forgetting is a natural and necessary process of the brain, says Oxford University professor Viktor Mayer-Schönberger. Forgetting is akin to mental hygiene and if we insist on documenting everything, we may impede that process.