User Forum

(1) The digital revolution has passed; we are living in the digital age. The effect on us all has been enormous and seems to impact every single thing we do. Computers and other technologies have been around for decades but what has really changed is the accessibility of such devices. Around 43% of the world’s population has a smart phone. Two areas that are commonly talked about are our memories and our ability to write.
(2) The first area of concern is the increase in available technology and how it impacts how we use our minds. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the human brain is not divided in easy access compartments which we can put our memories in and retrieve at any given moment, yet our memory sticks are. Often times our brains seem to be actually relatively poor storage for memories, particularly if you compare it to a hard drive so it’s really great that we have created devices that help us remember.
(3) A second issue that is raised is that children seem to be losing their fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are basically small movements such as typing or drawing and colouring in and there are many many more examples. Some research based on children’s ability to write with a pen or pencil suggests that these fine motor skills are reducing. The reduction in ability to write, while a concerning issue, seems to suggest that there isn’t a better alternative. Nowadays, with the use of computers, tablets and smartphones people generally don’t write with pen or pencil.
(4) It is clear that while we are using technology daily, our lives are changing as a consequence. There is no doubt that there are huge positives to this, however, it’s clear that some say that there are negatives also. We are able to create devices that help us with our memories which can improve levels of happiness and can make life much easier. Yet another positive is that our creation of devices could mean that we don’t ‘need’ to use our memories as much, so there is a possibility that we could free up our minds for other things like being creative.

People who are antagonistic, exploitative and generally disagreeable are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, according to recent study from a UO researcher.
Cameron Kay, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology, found that people who possess personality traits known as the "Dark Tetrad" are more likely to believe Princess Diana's death was orchestrated by the British royal family, that the moon landing was faked, and that alien spacecraft are being stored at Area 51, among other conspiracy theories. Kay's study was published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
The traits o f the Dark Tetrad are Machiavellianism (manipulativeness and cynicism); narcissism (vanity and self obsession); psychopathy callousness); and sadism (cruelty and abusiveness). Most people have elements callousness); and sadism (cruelty and abusiveness). Most people have elements of some of these traits, Kay said.
In plain terms, it seems like disagreeable people, who score high in these traits, are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories," Kay said. "They are prone to odd beliefs. They don't feel like they are in control of their lives. They are robbed of their agency and have an innate distrust of other people and organizations like the government."
To conduct his study, Kay recruited 500 undergraduate students at the UO to complete a one-hour survey designed to measure the traits in question as well as belief in conspiracy theories (26 students were ultimately excluded). The survey also measured tendencies to have unusual beliefs, to feel a lack of control over one's future, to desire control, to trust others, and to feel a need to be unique.