While there are many negatives to smart technology, such as tech neck, texting while driving and blue light rays, and tech neck, Anthony Chemero, University of Cincinnati social/behavioral specialist, said that there is also a positive.Professor of psychology and philosophy at UC, who co-authored a paper in Nature Human Behaviour stating that "despite the headlines", there is no scientific evidence to show that smartphones or digital technology affect our biological cognitive capabilities.Chemero and his colleagues from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management discuss the evolution of digital technology. They explain how smart technology can enhance thinking and help us excel.Chemero states that smartphones and digital technology are changing the way we engage our biological cognitive capabilities, which is what "smartphones" and "digital technology" do. He also adds that these changes can be cognitively beneficial.He says that your phone knows the route to the stadium and you don't need to ask for directions. This frees up brain energy so that you can focus on something else. In a professional setting, the same is true: "We are not solving complex mathematical problems using pen and paper or remembering phone numbers in 2021."He says that computers, tablets, and smart phones are an auxiliary tool, which can be used to memorize, calculate, store, and present information as needed.Smart technology also enhances decision-making skills that are difficult to achieve on our own, according to Lorenzo Cecutti (a University of Toronto PhD candidate). He says that GPS technology can be used on our phones to help us find the best route, and also allows us to choose routes based on traffic conditions. That would be difficult when driving around in a new place.Chemero says: "You combine all this technology with a naked human mind and you get something smarter. And the result is that our technology has actually enabled us to accomplish much more complex tasks that we could have done with our biological abilities alone."Chemero says that while there are other potential consequences of smart technology, "making people stupid is not one."
