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How new technology rewiring our "BRAINS"?

Fractured thinking might be on the rise in our digitally interconnected world of multitaskers. The old adages about all things being in balance and too much of a good thing applies to our brave new world of information overload. Our attention spans as well as the very way we think is being affected - and continues to be affected even after we turn off the computer or smartphone.

By spending so a lot time with e-mail, chat, text messaging, and other forms of communication where information is presented in short bursts but there is so a lot incoming information continuously, we are in fact training our brains to value the superficial and losing the capacity to concentrate and think deeper. Research study after research study shows that despite what people imagine about themselves, human beings grow to be worse cognitively after a life full of instantaneous communications.

Juggling the constant influx of information undermines our capability to pay attention. Bursts of information play into a primitive impulse of our human psychology to immediately respond to threats and opportunities. It echoes our distant past when we were defenseless creatures continuously searching for food while simultaneously searching out for hunters that would eat us.

This sort of simulation provokes a particular type of excitement to which our brains, addled by dopamine as well as adrenaline, become easily addicted. Yet despite the stress that all this excitement produces, we feel bored in its absence.

Thus starts a pernicious cycle whereby we find it harder and harder to concentrate while in effect desiring ever more the fact that we cannot concentrate!

Technology is literally rewiring our brains, because even after people give up all their computers and smartphones it's very tough to reset our brains. Still think you're a multitasker?

How gadgets are rewiring our brains and our behavior

I think the New York Times article on “Attached to Technology and Paying a Price” is a bit overblown. Are we really that addicted to technology?
On average we consume 12 hours of media a day and we surf 40 websites daily.
I have to admit, when I got an iPhone I became more attached to technology — at times, I slept with it in my bed (and from what I hear is not all that uncommon).
The New York Times reports:

“The technology is rewiring our brains,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and one of the world’s leading brain scientists. She and other researchers compare the lure of digital stimulation less to that of drugs and alcohol than to food and sex, which are essential but counterproductive in excess.

So fine, I did get side tracked yesterday while I was surfing the Internet and was late to a brunch. Maybe technology is so habitual that we are unaware of how much we depend on it. I must admit when I didn’t have a smart phone or Internet for 2 weeks, time went by more slowly and I read paperback books.
Now if you are wondering if you spend an unhealthy amount of time on the Internet, you might want to take a self assessment. No doubt, access to the Internet widens the range of temptations — so much so, scientists are finding that people who have a gambling problem also have a “problematic Internet” behavior.
Technology is a utility and we depend on it, so of course, it is changing our habits and our brains.
The NY Times also reports that experts think that this media overload makes us “impulsive, forgetful, and  even more narcissistic.” Oh, and I just thought that was just a part of living in New York.

Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO)

It is a company's outsourcing of computer or Internet related work, such as programming, to other companies. It is used in reference to Business Process Outsourcing or BPO, which is the outsourcing of the work that does not require much of technical skills.

Advantages of Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO)

1. Focus On Core Activities 

In rapid growth periods, the back-office operations of a company will expand also. This expansion may start to consume resources (human and financial) at the expense of the core activities that have made your company successful. Outsourcing those activities will allow refocusing on those business activities that are important without sacrificing quality or service in the back-office.
Example: A company lands a large contract that will significantly increase the volume of purchasing in a very short period of time; Outsource purchasing.

2. Cost And Efficiency Savings

Back-office functions that are complicated in nature, but the size of your company is preventing you from performing it at a consistent and reasonable cost, is another advantage of outsourcing.
Example: A small doctor’s office that wants to accept a variety of insurance plans. One part-time person could not keep up with all the different providers and rules. Outsource to a firm specializing in medical billing.

3. Reduced Overhead

Overhead costs of performing a particular back-office function are extremely high. Consider outsourcing those functions which can be moved easily.
Example: Growth has resulted in an increased need for office space. The current location is very expensive and there is no room to expand. Outsource some simple operations in order to reduce the need for office space. For example, outbound telemarketing or data entry.

4. Operational Control

Operations whose costs are running out of control must be considered for outsourcing. Departments that may have evolved over time into uncontrolled and poorly managed areas are prime motivators for outsourcing. In addition, an outsourcing company can bring better management skills to your company than what would otherwise be available.
Example: An information technology department that has too many projects, not enough people and a budget that far exceeds their contribution to the organization. A contracted outsourcing agreement will force management to prioritize their requests and bring control back to that area.

5. Staffing Flexibility

Outsourcing will allow operations that have seasonal or cyclical demands to bring in additional resources when you need them and release them when you’re done.
Example: An accounting department that is short-handed during tax season and auditing periods. Outsourcing these functions can provide the additional resources for a fixed period of time at a consistent cost.

6. Continuity & Risk Management

Periods of high employee turnover will add uncertainty and inconsistency to the operations. Outsourcing will provided a level of continuity to the company while reducing the risk that a substandard level of operation would bring to the company.
Example: The human resource manager is on an extended medical leave and the two administrative assistants leave for new jobs in a very short period of time. Outsourcing the human resource function would reduce the risk and allow the company to keep operating.

7. Develop Internal Staff

A large project needs to be undertaken that requires skills that your staff does not possess. On-site outsourcing of the project will bring people with the skills you need into your company. Your people can work alongside of them to acquire the new skill set.
Example: A company needs to embark on a replacement/upgrade project on a variety of custom built equipment. Your engineers do not have the skills required to design new and upgraded equipment. Outsourcing this project and requiring the outsourced engineers to work on-site will allow your engineers to acquire a new skill set.


Disadvantages of Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO)