Mari Swingle - i-Minds: How Cell Phones, Computers, Gaming, and Social Media are Changing our Brains, our Behavior, and the Evolution of our Species

Advance Praise for i-Minds

In this meticulously researched and necessary book Mari Swingle shows how the i-world is hijacking young peoples minds and even their brains. Her practical advice guides us to become masters, not servants, of the technology we are bequeathing to our children.

Gabor Mat M.D., co-author, Hold On To Your Kids: Why Parents Need To Matter More Than Peers and author, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

Dr. Mari Swingle brilliantly explains how digital displays and social media are changing our brains by capturing our evolutionary survival patterns. i-Minds is a must read to understand the impact of our digital revolution and how to use it wisely. She explains why students attention spans have significantly decreased, ADHD, depression, impulsivity and anxiety have increased, and why students who take notes on digital devices in the classroom (tablets, smart phone or laptops) do significantly worse than those who still write notes on paper.

Erik Peper, PhD, Professor, San Francisco State University, President of the Biofeedback Federation of Europe, co-author, Fighting Cancer: A Nontoxic Approach to Treatment, author of the blog, The Peper Perspective-Ideas on illness, health and well-being (www.peperperspective.com)

An eye-opener. This book left me speechless. i-Minds made me look inward at my own relationships with people and technology and consider whether I liked the impact instead of just blindly following it.

Rob Krall, host, Bottom up Radio; publisher, OpEdNews; and founder, organizer of the Winter Brain Meeting

In this age of screens were beset with a pack of new emotional and behavioral conundrums. Mari K. Swingle walks us through the fundamentals of these changes with a kindness and clarity I find deeply refreshing. i-Minds is a well-researched guide for teachers and parents keen on understanding the ramifications of our new media climate.

Michael Harris, author, The End of Absence: Reclaiming What Weve Lost in a World of Constant Connection

In i-Minds, Mari K. Swingle offers exceptional insights into the emotional and behavioural problems that may arise from living in a 24/7 wired world. She also provides deep insights to those trying to help anyone whos addicted to their digital devices.

Charlie Smith, Georgia Straight

i-Minds is more than a book. Its a tool to help us decide when screen-based devices are enriching our lives, and when theyre stealing it. If youve looked at your smartphone, checked your social media feed, or distracted your kid with an iPad today, you need to read this book right away.

Jon Cooksey, director, How to Boil a Frog

A genuinely original position on a historically significant cultural issue.... A scientifically rigorous and philosophically challenging argument that digital media is not merely shaping culture, but also the very nature of the human brain.

Kirkus Reviews

This book is a revolution. Dr. Mari Swingle pushes boundaries effectively without pointing fingers at any particular generation. She emphasizes that excessive technological use can put any age group at risk of developing behavioral issues, which is quite original compared to other authors who tend to accuse only the young of using too much i-tech.... Her findings are truly extraordinary.

San Francisco Book Review

How Cell Phones, Computers, Gaming, and
Social Media Are Changing Our Brains, Our
Behavior, and the Evolution of Our Species

Copyright 2016 by Mari K. Swingle. All rights reserved.

First edition 2015 by Mari K. Swingle

Cover composite by Diane McIntosh. Cover images: iStock Metsafile.

Januss Ladder by Bertil Vallien, photo by Christian Cederroth.

Author photo by Christian Cederroth.

This edition printed in Canada. First printing May 2016.

This book is intended to be educational and informative.

It is not intended to serve as a guide. The author and publisher disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk that may be associated with the application of any of the contents of this book.

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of i-Minds should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com

Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:

New Society Publishers

P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada

(250) 247-9737

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Swingle, Mari K., author

i-Minds : how cell phones, computers, gaming, and social media are changing our brains, our behavior, and the evolution of our species /

Mari K. Swingle, PhD.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-0-86571-825-8 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-55092-619-4 (ebook)

1. Technology Social aspects. 2. Technology Psychological aspects.

3. Brain. 4. Human behavior. 5. Human evolution. I. Title.

New Society Publishers mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. The interior pages of our bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-registered acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine-free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC-registered stock. New Society also works to reduce its carbon footprint, and purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit to ensure a carbon neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com

Januss Ladder

by Bertil Vallien,
Swedish sculptor and glass artist.

www.bertilvallien.se, www.vidamuseum.com

Reproduction permission generously granted by the artist.

Photograph by Christian Cederroth.

Janus in Roman Mythology is the God of beginnings
and transition. Janus has two faces as he looks equally
to the future as to the past.

Every era has an innovation that changes the face of society: the way we think, the way we act and interact as individuals, as a community, and as a culture. As the innovation is introduced, it tends to be greeted with elation. As the innovation becomes integrated and the first societal shifts become apparent, some start to question the balance of benefit and loss in the equation of change. We are now in such a place with digital media.

Cell phones, PCs, and the Internet are now completely integrated in global culture, i-culture: welcomed by most, resisted by some, the impact apparent for all. There is great change for the better, but now, a few decades into the assimilation, there is also arguably evidence of an equally negative impact. The darker side of the digital era has emerged.