Updating Our Brains | Bilguun Dugarsuren | TEDxInternationalSchoolofUlaanbaatar
The speaker argues that developing critical thinking skills to effectively filter vast amounts of digital information is crucial for personal growth and achieving real-world results. He cautions against passive content consumption, comparing the internet to a forest where one must distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous ones. The core recommendation is to actively practice digital self-management by controlling scrolling habits and intentionally directing attention towards desired learning material. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker presenting a talk titled "updating our brains." - Speaker describes a personal experience of losing two hours to content scrolling after an initial task (mopping the floor) until his mother returned. - Speaker uses a self-deprecating metaphor, stating he felt "like an actual mop cloth" regarding his potential. ## Theses & Positions - The internet contains massive potential knowledge, illustrated by the analogy of 46 billion Pyramids of Giza made of data. - Simply having access to the data is insufficient; the primary challenge is developing the skill to filter out negativity, manipulation, and distractions. - Achieving great things requires learning how to "pick up that correct mushroom" (edible knowledge) from the forest of information while avoiding the poisonous ones. - The solution to big data problems starts with individual behavioral changes, specifically restricting unconscious scrolling and practicing online productivity. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Zettabyte:** The unit used to estimate the total size of data stored on the internet (around 120 ZB by 2023). - **Bit:** Defined as the tiniest unit for measuring data, visualized as a 1 cm Cube. - **Critical Thinking:** Described as a skill that the speaker developed "intuitively" while observing the internet, despite not formally studying it. - **Digital Civilization Management:** The skill set required to effectively use the internet's resources for benefit. - **Online Productivity Tools:** Tools that can help boost performance by requiring active engagement rather than passive consumption. ## Numbers & Data - Internet data storage estimate: **120 zettabytes** by **2023**. - Data measurement visualization: **1 bit** equals a **1 cm Cube**. - Estimated data capacity: Enough to build approximately **46 billion Pyramids of Giza**. - Internet users (as of end of July 2020): **5.19 billion**. ## Examples & Cases - **The initial distraction:** Spending **two entire hours** watching cute kitten videos and similar random content after being called to mop the floor. - **The internet scope:** Containing everything from "fun games that I grew up playing" to "thousands of years of experiences stored in digital libraries," as well as negative content and advertising. - **The Mushroom Analogy:** Comparing the internet to a forest where one must discern edible/healthy mushrooms from venomous/poisonous ones. - **Personal realization:** The speaker questioned his own thoughts, *"wasn't a necessity"* but was done instinctively. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Information Consumption Cycle:** Initial distraction $\rightarrow$ Platform recommends similar content $\rightarrow$ Extended passive viewing $\rightarrow$ Waste of time/attention. - **Skill Development:** Active observation of overwhelming digital information $\rightarrow$ Instinctively questioning biases $\rightarrow$ Development of critical thinking ability. - **Digital Filtering:** The process of consciously selecting and utilizing high-quality, actionable information while ignoring distractions and manipulative content. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Smartphone/Pocket access:** The physical device in the user's pocket is identified as the tool to access the knowledge. - **AI tools:** Mentioned as examples of technology that can help calculate data capacity (like Pyramids). - **Social Media Platforms:** Implicitly the sources of distraction (e.g., the platform that recommended cute animal videos). - **Online Productivity Tools:** Tools used to help boost performance through mindful engagement. ## References Cited - **Health:** Source providing data on the total size of data on the internet. - **Statista.com:** Source for the 5.19 billion internet user count as of July 2020. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Passive Consumption vs. Active Filtering:** The trade-off between easily accessible, low-effort entertainment and difficult, high-effort critical analysis. - **The 'Dirt' on Potential:** The state of unaddressed potential that passive scrolling prevents the user from realizing. ## Methodology - **Observation:** Analyzing personal patterns of attention wastage on the internet. - **Data Aggregation:** Using cited metrics (Zettabytes, user counts) to quantify the scale of available information. - **Analogy/Framework Building:** Developing the "mushroom picking" metaphor to teach prioritization skills. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Focus on developing the skill to filter the internet's data, calling it the "pivot" for real-life results. - Actively manage digital habits: *"restrict our unconscious scrolling"* and *"every little practice we do with online productivity tools."* - Immediate action: "grab our phone and just search for it easy as that." ## Implications & Consequences - Failure to develop these management skills leads to wasted potential and the perpetuation of "unhealthy habits." - Successful implementation leads to the ability to "solve world hunger" or "make change" by channeling attention constructively. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm not here to talk about the toxifying from social media or any screen time issues."* - *"I spent two entire hours without sparing at least a couple of minutes to put out the trash..."* - *"I gained something on the other hand... I was instinctively searching for biases in my own thoughts."* - *"if I can improve my skill to manage this digital civilization with my normal human life do you guys think I can solve world hunger even if I can't"* - *"the internet is like this just like picking up a mushroom to cook for dinner are we picking the edible and healthy ones or the venomous and poisonous ones out of this thousands of millions of mushrooms growing in this forest"* - *"every little action we attempt to restrict our unconscious scrolling will lead to better social media usage"* - *"Every Spark of interest every desire to learn something new could be fueled and fulfilled and mop the dirt off"*