Digital media provide humans with more access to information than ever before—a computer, tablet, or smartphone can all be used to access data online and users frequently have more than one device. However, as humans continue to venture into the digital frontier, it remains to be known whether access to seemingly unlimited information is actually helping us learn and solve complex problems, or ultimately creating more difficulty and confusion for individuals and societies by offering content overload that is not always meaningful.

Throughout history, technology has changed the way humans interact with the world. Improvements in tools, language, industrial machines, and now digital information technology have shaped our minds and societies. There has always been access to more information than humans can handle, but the difference now lies in the ubiquity of the Internet and digital technology, and the incredible speed with which anyone with a computer can access and participate in seemingly infinite information exchange. Humans now live in a world where mobile digital technology is everywhere, from the classroom and the doctor's office to public transportation and even the dinner table. This paradigm shift in technology comes with tremendous benefits and risks. Interdisciplinary Research (IDR) Teams at the 2012 National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Conference on The Informed Brain in the Digital World explored common rewards and dangers to Humans among various fields that are being greatly impacted by the Internet and the rapid evolution of digital technology.

Keynote speaker Clifford Nass of Stanford University opened the dialogue by offering insight into what we already know about how the "information overload" of the digital world may be affecting our brains. Nass presented the idea of the "media budget," which states that when a new media emerges, it takes time away from other media in a daily time budget. When additional media appear and there is no time left in a person's daily media budget, people begin to "double book" media time. Personal computers, tablets, and smartphones make it easy to use several media simultaneously, and according to Nass, this double-booking of media can result in chronic multitasking, which effects how people store and manage memory. Although current fast-paced work and learning environments often encourage multitasking, research shows that such multitasking is inefficient, decreases productivity, and may hinder cognitive function. National Academies Keck Future Initiative: The Informed Brain in a Digital World summarizes the happenings of this conference.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES KECK FUTURES INITIATIVE INFORMED BRAIN STEERING COMMITTEE
• The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative
• Preface
• Conference Summary
  Kirk McAlpin.
  • MULTITASKING
  • LIFELOGGING
  • PERSONAL HEALTH
  • LEARNING ONLINE
  • DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
  • DIGITAL NATIVES AND DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS
  • ETHICS, LAW, AND SOCIAL POLICY
  • IN CONCLUSION
• IDR Team Summary 1
  • CHALLENGE SUMMARY
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP A
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 1A
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP B
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 1B
• IDR Team Summary 2
  • CHALLENGE SUMMARY
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY
• IDR Team Summary 3
  • CHALLENGE SUMMARY
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS
  • IDR TEAM 3
• IDR Team Summary 4
  • CHALLENGE SUMMARY
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP A
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 4A
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP B
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 4B
• IDR Team Summary 5
  • CHALLENGE SUMMARY
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP A
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 5A
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP B
• IDR Team Summary 6
  • CHALLENGE SUMMARY
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP A
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 6A
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP B
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 6B
• IDR Team Summary 7
  • CHALLENGE SUMMARY
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP A
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 7A
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP B
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 7B
  • IDR TEAM MEMBERS—GROUP C
  • IDR TEAM SUMMARY—GROUP 7C
• Appendixes
  • List of The Informed Brain in a Digital World Podcast Tutorials
  • Agenda
  • Participant List

Funding for the activity that led to this publication was provided by the W.M. Keck Foundation. Based in Los Angeles, the W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by the late W.M. Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. In recent years, the Foundation has focused on Science and Engineering Research; Medical Research; Undergraduate Education; and Southern California. Each grant program invests in people and programs that are making a difference in the quality of life, now and for the future. For more information visit www.wmkeck.org.

NOTICE: The Interdisciplinary Research (IDR) team summaries in this publication are based on IDR team discussions during the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Conference on the Informed Brain in a Digital World held at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California, November 15–17, 2012. The discussions in these groups were summarized by the authors and reviewed by the members of each IDR team. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the IDR teams and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project. For more information on the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative visit www.keckfutures.org.