Firth Joseph, Torous John, López-Gil José Francisco, Linardon Jake, Milton Alyssa, Lambert Jeffrey, Smith Lee, Jarić Ivan, Fabian Hannah, Vancampfort Davy, Onyeaka Henry, Schuch Felipe B, Firth Josh A
Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.
World Psychiatry. 2024 Jun;23(2):176-190. doi: 10.1002/wps.21188.
In response to the mass adoption and extensive usage of Internet-enabled devices across the world, a major review published in this journal in 2019 examined the impact of Internet on human cognition, discussing the concepts and ideas behind the "online brain". Since then, the online world has become further entwined with the fabric of society, and the extent to which we use such technologies has continued to grow. Furthermore, the research evidence on the ways in which Internet usage affects the human mind has advanced considerably. In this paper, we sought to draw upon the latest data from large-scale epidemiological studies and systematic reviews, along with randomized controlled trials and qualitative research recently emerging on this topic, in order to now provide a multi-dimensional overview of the impacts of Internet usage across psychological, cognitive and societal outcomes. Within this, we detail the empirical evidence on how effects differ according to various factors such as age, gender, and usage types. We also draw from new research examining more experiential aspects of individuals' online lives, to understand how the specifics of their interactions with the Internet, and the impact on their lifestyle, determine the benefits or drawbacks of online time. Additionally, we explore how the nascent but intriguing areas of culturomics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality are changing our understanding of how the Internet can interact with brain and behavior. Overall, the importance of taking an individualized and multi-dimensional approach to how the Internet affects mental health, cognition and social functioning is clear. Furthermore, we emphasize the need for guidelines, policies and initiatives around Internet usage to make full use of the evidence available from neuroscientific, behavioral and societal levels of research presented herein.
为回应全球范围内启用互联网设备的广泛普及和大量使用，本期刊于2019年发表了一篇重要综述，探讨了互联网对人类认知的影响，讨论了“在线大脑”背后的概念和理念。从那时起，网络世界与社会结构的联系更加紧密，我们使用此类技术的程度也在持续增长。此外，关于互联网使用影响人类思维方式的研究证据有了很大进展。在本文中，我们试图借鉴大规模流行病学研究和系统综述的最新数据，以及最近在该主题上出现的随机对照试验和定性研究，以便现在从心理、认知和社会结果等多维度概述互联网使用的影响。在此范围内，我们详细阐述了根据年龄、性别和使用类型等各种因素，影响如何不同的实证证据。我们还借鉴了新的研究，这些研究考察了个人在线生活中更多体验性的方面，以了解他们与互联网互动的具体情况以及对其生活方式的影响如何决定在线时间的利弊。此外，我们探讨了新兴但引人入胜的文化组学、人工智能、虚拟现实和增强现实领域如何正在改变我们对互联网如何与大脑和行为相互作用的理解。总体而言，对互联网如何影响心理健康、认知和社会功能采取个性化和多维度方法的重要性是显而易见的。此外，我们强调需要围绕互联网使用制定指导方针、政策和倡议，以充分利用本文在神经科学、行为学和社会研究层面提供的现有证据。
