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Digital Tools, Cognition, and Democracy: A Review of the Literature

Digital Tools, Cognition, and Democracy: A Review of the Literature

This literature review supports a series examining the effects digital technologies have on the following cognitive processes: "Memory," "Attention," and "Reasoning." The broader report series includes three additional papers looking at some of the society-level cognitive and democratic impacts of technology, titled: "Modulating Trust," "Shortcutting Critical Thinking," and "Exploiting Emotions."

attention, cognition, DCDI, democracy, emotions, Geopolitics of Technology, memory, reasoning, social

October 27, 2022

Attention: How digital technologies influence what we notice, what we focus on, and how we learn

Attention: How digital technologies influence what we notice, what we focus on, and how we learn

This report examines the impact that technology has on the cognitive function of attention. It provides a working definition of attention within a cognitive science context, including the distinction between overt and covert attention. It summarizes findings that elucidate how attention is affected by the passive and active consumption of technology.

attention, cognition, critical thinking, DCDI, democracy, emotions, gamification, Geopolitics of Technology, memory, reasoning

October 27, 2022

Shortcutting Critical Thinking

Shortcutting Critical Thinking

The scale, accuracy, and speed of digital technologies make them particularly effective at activating the very emotions that influence and undermine critical thinking. Not only do digital technologies have the ability to inflame those emotions, but they often are designed to do so, as those very emotions drive engagement, use, and consumer spending.

attention, cognition, critical thinking, DCDI, democracy, emotions, Geopolitics of Technology, reasoning

October 27, 2022

Modulating Trust

Modulating Trust

Social trust – trust in other people and institutions – is critical to the DCDI problem set. But trust is not always beneficial. Although trust in technology can facilitate economic transactions, it can also diminish our capacity for skepticism. Consumers tend to prefer to use technologies that they trust, and sellers and developers of technology find more success when there is more trust in their systems. Yet trust placed too freely in technologies can also generate vulnerabilities for those same consumers–to identity theft, to addiction, to misinformation, and to fraud.

attention, cognition, DCDI, democracy, fraud, Geopolitics of Technology, misinformation, social trust, trust

October 27, 2022

Exploiting Emotions

Exploiting Emotions

Digital systems exploit and manipulate emotions by design. Emotions prompt people to use digital tools, engage with content, products, and services, respond to advertisements, stay on or return to digital platforms, and even take action offline as a result of online experience. The design of the digital environment, especially its visual nature, also heightens user emotions, often creating an addictive cycle. Because emotions affect how we process, engage with, and often act upon information, they play a central role in the relationship between digital tools and democracy.

addictive, attention, cognition, DCDI, democracy, Geopolitics of Technology, memory, networks, reasoning, social

October 27, 2022

Rewired: How digital technologies shape cognition and democracy

Rewired: How digital technologies shape cognition and democracy

The Digital Cognition & Democracy Initiative is investigating how digital technologies affect human cognition, and what those effects mean for democracy. Rewired by Leah Walker examines different key themes that have emerged in our DCDI research and working meetings with coalition members. This series is meant to illustrate the depth of the digitally influenced cognition problem, and illuminate how we are thinking about these issues.

attention, cognition, critical thinking, DCDI, democracy, emotions, friction, Geopolitics of Technology, information overload, memory, reasoning, trust

October 27, 2022

Future Digital Threats to Democracy – Trends and Drivers

Future Digital Threats to Democracy – Trends and Drivers

Based on a comprehensive literature review and conversations with subject matter experts, Alexa Wehsener, Vera Zakem, and M. Nina Miller identified nine trends that are likely to pose digital threats to democracy in the future.

apathy, attention, cognition, democracy, digital authoritarianism, geopolitics, ideology, information environment, privacy, surveillance, technology

May 5, 2021

Pay Attention

Pay Attention

In a joint CNAS and IST report, Alexa Wehsener analyzes the effect of digital technologies on the monetization of attention.

attention, cognition, democracy, digital cognition

August 19, 2020

The Online Brain

The Online Brain

The gradual impairment of human cognition erodes three pillars of democracy: a well-informed population, resilience to foreign influence, and the capacity for effective public debates.

attention, cognition, cognitive, democracy, memory, resilience

May 6, 2020