A fascinating Google study of how Generation Z consumes online news provides us an insight into how living online has altered the way humans think. Years of what is now termed memetic engineering, in social media feeds, has changed the way brains function, but it is possible that this process can be reversed.
Generation Z consists of people born after 1995 that are under 30 years of age. They came alive when the internet had already came to dominate society and matured when the cell phone succeeded into becoming an addictive device. They became teenagers as social media amplified that addiction.
A few years ago a series of studies came out showing that social media had a psychological toll on young people, causing depression and suicide, as they compared themselves to what they see in the feeds. Eating disorders proliferated. Studies showed that the more time people spend online the worse they feel.
As one article puts it: “A 2017 …