What will happen to the human mind if the external world changes in unprecedented ways, for example with an all-pervasive digital technology?

Feature article by Susan Greenfield published in Spokes#0, Spring 2013

Download the article pdf below and watch Susan Greenfield's keynote speech at the 2013 Ecsite Annual Conference.

We humans occupy more ecological niches than any other species on the planet. This is because our brains are superlatively evolved to adapt to our own particular environment: a process known as neuroplasticity, argues neurobiologist Susan Greenfield. Thanks to their plasticity, the connections between our brain cells will be shaped, strengthened and constantly refined by our individual experiences. It is this personalisation of the physical brain, driven by unique interactions with the external world, that arguably constitutes the biological basis of each individual mind, so what will happen to that mind if the external world changes in unprecedented ways, for example with an all-pervasive digital technology?