Brain Overload

Emails, SMS, live threads, blogs, social networks, e-commerce, etc.

The flood of information that has inundated the planet for the past few years does not concern only institutions, multinationals or research centers. We are directly affected on a daily basis in our private and professional lives. Short of moving to the middle of nowhere or a deserted island, there seems no way of escaping the tidal wave of information. Everywhere we go, we bring along the tools that keep us constantly connected to our family, friends, colleagues… and, in the end, the whole planet.

Does this ceaseless flow of information have an effect on our health? Has it engendered new diseases?

While the human brain can only process a limited number of tasks at the same time, our current information society is pushing its capacities to the extreme. Is there a point where our brain becomes incapable of processing the information it receives?

Do we need to learn how to filter and if so, how? Can we adapt and are we the only ones involved in this adaptation? And what if it were up to the tools to adapt to our needs? To answer these questions and understand the impact of information overload on the modern human brain, we shall meet researchers in several fields: neuroscience, sociology, IT and so on. We will explore recent discoveries in cognition, memory, attention and brain plasticity.

Indispensible knowledge for understanding the cognitive stakes of humankind faced with the digital mass.