The secret is balance

Gary Small, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, claims the internet is stimulating evolutionary change within the minds of tech-savvy users.

"The average young person now spends nine hours a day exposing their brain to technology. Evolution is an advancement from moment to moment and what we are seeing is technology affecting our evolution," Small said in an interview with Reuters.

In a study of 24 adults, Small found that the brains of experienced 'net users were twice as active as those of internet beginners — particularly in the areas that control decision-making and complex reasoning.

"If you repeat mental tasks over and over, [the brain] will strengthen certain neural circuits and ignore others," he observed, adding that such stimulation compels brains to evolve — making it likely that the tech-savvy will top off the "new social order."

But there are setbacks to being so wired. "Digital natives" habitually scan for new information, which can lead to stress and, in some cases, damage neural networks. They are also prone to "[neglect] human contact skills and [lose] the ability to read emotional expressions and body language," he said.

For techies suffering such drawbacks, Small suggests finding a balance between technology and human interaction, "like having a family dinner."

Overall, users that manage to "take control" of how the internet affects their brains will be the best-off. Ideally, they'll be able to glide between tech and face-to-face interactions with ease.

"The people in the next generation who are really going to have the edge are the ones who master the technological skills and also face-to-face skills," said Small.

"They will know when the best response to an email or Instant Message is to talk rather than sit and continue to email."

Small is the Director of the Memory & Aging Research Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, and the Center on Aging at UCLA. In earlier studies, he found that text messaging and internet searches make brains more adept at snap decision-making and data-filtering.

Such activity can even lower users' risk of degenerative brain diseases, Small claimed.