The latest evolutionary phase in the Human Mind
There are a number of neuroscientists who believe that the human central nervous system is on the verge of entering the next evolutionary stage in its development, brought on by the cultural assimilation of computers and the proliferation of online social media in our daily lives.
Because this next evolutionary “phase” will be so spectacularly life-changing, there is good cause to consider just how it may come about. And certainly, the most challenging aspect of this conjecturing is, of course, a dialog on the timeline that this development might take place, since predicting the future is best left to science fiction writers. And perhaps this prediction is really nothing more than science fiction, but there is still a lot of speculation on what this new evolution might look like.
From the beginning, much of the discussion of this evolutionary change has been driven by what is called the “Social Brain Hypothesis”.
The Social Brain Hypothesis states that the reason primates, including humans, have relatively large brains, is that they need the processing space to cope with their complex social networks. Research has shown that monkeys that live in larger groups tend to grow bigger brains.
Research also implies that people with larger social networks seem to have larger orbital prefrontal cortexes. This is the area of the brain that sits right behind the eyes and is thought to be responsible for directing appropriate social behavior and interaction with others.
However, the current hodgepodge of social media sites, all of which are supported by an inefficient internet advertising market, alternately suggests that our present online environment is not as yet sophisticated enough to bring about any epochal evolutionary changes in the organic brains of humans just yet.
Indeed, there is a related argument to the social brain hypothesis, one that, while agreeing with the hypothesis in principle, also asserts that any new evolution of the human brain must be driven by a deeper neuro-biological pressure than mere social network complexity. This related hypothesis further argues that any evolutionary pressure for change must come about from a hyper-development in that very primal biological mechanism which gave us intelligence in the first place: the neural mechanism underlying the psychology of reward.
It is this hyper-development that is the focus of the next trillion-dollar technology, the next, new internet experience.
The new trillion dollar tech is not just another social media website, or an app that can be installed on someone’s smartphone. It is, however, a technology that will be felt throughout the entire internet.
Because the Psychology of Reward has social as well as commercial aspects, this new trillion dollar technology must enable both the social and commercial aspects of people in their daily lives – which requires a deeper understanding of how people think.
The most complex thing in the Universe
There is an old adage in philosophy courses, which says that you can explain the mind by studying the brain about as much as you can explain sculpture by studying clay.
Although there is something to be said for this sentiment, the reality today is that you cannot even begin to see the true miracle that is the Human Mind without first understanding something about the biological systems that give rise to this phenomenon we call consciousness.
Unfortunately, the sheer complexity of the human brain is like no other creation of Nature, and understanding its intricacies has posed one of the greatest challenges for scientific inquiry ever since Man began asking questions about himself those many millennia ago.
Because of this, in the grander aspirations for change by this new trillion dollar innovation, it is the aim of this technology to fundamentally alter how the human race (non-verbally) communicates: The next emergent phase in human socio-evolution will come about from the development of a capability to wordlessly communicate.
Contrary to what the academic world would like us to believe, human evolution is not about new knowledge. Right now, the greatest roadblock to any evolutionary change in the human race can be found in our antiquated methods of communication.
How often do you have a compelling idea in mind which you are bursting to express to someone, but just can’t seem to find the right words for?
Ironically, the foundation for a radically new medium of communication can be found in the Psychology of Reward and the science of the Dopamine Cycle in the brain – the very fundamentals that drive the universal psychological attraction in today’s social media websites.
