Some months back, the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published a study on how internet affects brain functions stimulating comparative skills and helping individuals digest diverse information. Reuters reported on the matter with a brief article. The study surveyed elderly people above 50 years old.
The nice thing is that Don Tapscott, keynote speaker of 2009’s FTTH Council Europe Conference used a similar example to argue how the changes in brain stimulation in younger people affect the need for bandwidth and FTTH demand. Here’s an excerpt from Tapscott’s very interesting interview for FTTH Council Europe:
[younger people] brain is not like mine or yours. It has changed. The brain develops in this very critical period between the ages of 8 to 18 and during that period your brain is determined by the way you spend your time. If you spend your time watching television for 10hrs a day, that gives you a certain type of brain. But if you spend your hours interactively, authenticating and organising information, collaborating with others, manipulating media and symbols, or developing strategies during video gaming , then the interaction between all this creates a whole different brain. That is what my research showed very clearly. These kids have better switching abilities, better active working memories. They are extremely good at things that appear to be multitasking to us, but it’s actually not multitasking to them, it’s just a natural way of moving very quickly between different activities.
You can read the full interview on FTTH Council Europe’s web site or continue below:
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CRYSTAL CLEAR FIBER TECHNOLOGY FOR THE BRAINS OF TOMORROW
INTERVIEW WITH DON TAPSCOTT
Brussels- Dec 8th 08 / Don Tapscott is one of the keynote speakers on the FTTH Conference. His new book Grown Up Digital has been chosen by The Economist as one of the best economics and business books of 2008. The Economist summed up the book thusly: “A management guru explains why the net generation, who grew up playing video games and spending time on the internet, are not all messed up, as many people suspect, but have actually been improved by the experience.” When we spoke with Don on the phone , we asked him how all of this will be related to the FTTH-discussion.
Q: In your new book “Grown Up Digital” , you explain how the teenagers will become the leaders of tomorrow because they grew up in the internet-age . What is the link with FTTH ?
A: The link is very direct. I profiled in my book a youngster called Mike Furdyk, 24 years old, who was looking for an apartment in Toronto and he made his choice on the basis that this specific apartment had a 100 megabit bandwidth connection. That shows you to what extent the new generation thinks bandwidth is a major issue in their personal lives. Young people all over the world are growing up in a very different environment: they are the active users of the new media and also active collaborators and contributors to all this. They are coming of age in the digital age and this leads to an unprecedented demand on network’s bandwidth, need for speed and insatiable thirst for content. That situation changes their mindset and their demand in an unprecedented manner. At home youngsters are pushing their parents for more bandwidth capabilities. As they will become parents themselves, that demand will only grow further. And networks better prepare for that.
Q: Because demand will not only be about more “receiving” but also more “uploading” and more interactivity…
A: And because its’ about a whole new world of applications. They are using the web not just for entertainment, but also for creation, collaboration. To them the technology is just like the air. Just as we want our air to be clean, they want the communication technology to be clear and clean. Technology will have to provide them with crystal clear fidelity.
Q: Which they will have to wait for some more time if new network technologies are not rolled out quicker. There are quite a few hurdles to overcome?
A: The big fear of course is this: if we build it, will they come? That’s not an unfair question. But I would strongly recommend building it anyway, because they are already there. They want it now, they will want even more tomorrow, they are prepared to pay for it and if you don’t satisfy that new but enormous demand, someone else will.
Q : But stranded costs and huge investments are strong impediments aren’t they ?
A: People are cautious about the payoff, but my research suggest there is a big payoff. People want the bandwidth at home, at their work, and to a large extent they want to use the unlimited bandwidth capacity to work at home. And that of course is very good news, for all of us who believe that we need a greener society. Younger people are seeking very actively for this.
Q : You sometimes wonder how people will cope with all this new possibilities and offerings when bandwidth becomes unlimited. Even the new generation’s brain has its limits.
A: That is precisely my point: their brain is not like mine or yours. It has changed. The brain develops in this very critical period between the ages of 8 to 18 and during that period your brain is determined by the way you spend your time. If you spend your time watching television for 10hrs a day, that gives you a certain type of brain. But if you spend your hours interactively, authenticating and organising information, collaborating with others, manipulating media and symbols, or developing strategies during video gaming , then the interaction between all this creates a whole different brain. That is what my research showed very clearly. These kids have better switching abilities, better active working memories. They are extremely good at things that appear to be multitasking to us, but it’s actually not multitasking to them, it’s just a natural way of moving very quickly between different activities.
Q: What will be the consequence of the current economical crisis to these developments?
A: The recession will not fundamentally alter this evolution. This is a very difficult moment, without a shadow of a doubt. But also a great opportunity for innovation. We now have a platform leading to change, we need to rethink our modus operandae instead of hunkering down. And equally important is the fact that the environmental crisis is dictating us change. I am at my house right now, with a so called high speed connection, but I wish I had a hundred times more speed, in which case I would never need to go out for work and take the car. ( laughs)
