Impact of digital technologies on human cognitive abilities (a review)

Background. To date, digital technologies have penetrated almost every sphere of human life and are an integral part of the development of society. This situation determines the interest of the scientific community in the impact of digital technologies on human health, in particular on its cognitive functions. Aim: to analyze the impact of digital technologies on human cognitive functions based on the results of scientific studies published mainly in the last five years, as well as structure and organize knowledge. Methods and materials: a systematic analysis of the published results of original studies posted on the PubMed and eLIBRARY.ru websites. Results. A brief review of the original research did not give a clear answer about the positive or negative impact of digital technologies. Many works show the development of such cognitive skills as attention, memory, and information processing speed. However, positive results, especially in children, are limited by the time of use of digital media. The effectiveness of the use of digital technologies was noted in the aspect of brain training for the prevention of age-related changes in cognitive functions. As negative points, it is noted that active users of digital technologies are characterized by a figurative perception of the material inherent in clip thinking, making it difficult to highlight the meaning and understand the analogies between abstract concepts. Conclusion. The main problem is the unlimited use of information resources and the low quality of the information consumed. The pace of development of modern society, which excludes a complete rejection of digital technologies, and the inconsistency of the data obtained indicate the need to continue research. Further research will make it possible to find out how to avoid the negative impact of digital technologies on human cognitive functions and promote the development of the latter by competently using the gifts of civilization.