Actually, it won’t be this post alone that does it. It’s more likely to stem from the way you jump around the content on this site before heading off to others to get your daily fill of electronic information.

It seems our human brains are not wired the way they need to be to cope with the growing amount of information we’re pouring into them. Add the fact that many people surf the web while also listening to the radio, watching television and conducting instant messaging sessions and it’s little wonder our grey matter is getting a little overheated.

The idea is not a new one (I've written about it before on this site) but it’s been gaining more attention recently, due in part to a feature article written by Nicholas Carr in The Atlantic magazine. It's online at http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google . Carr first gained worldwide attention when he wrote a piece titled “IT doesn’t matter”, and it looks like he’s doing it again.

In essence, his latest piece argues that all the jumping around we do online these days is making it much more difficult when we want to actually concentrate on one thing for an extended period.

As an argument it makes sense. When was the last time you read a long feature article all the way to the end? How about a book? When you try, do you find yourself more easily distracted than you would have, say, five years ago?

Carr argues that widespread use of online news sources, email, IM and micro-blogging services such as Twitter is causing our brains to become rewired. We are starting to think and process information in a different way.

The big question, therefore, is whether it’s a problem. Does it matter if we’re no longer settling down with War and Peace or taking an hour off to contemplate the meaning of the universe?

It does. One of the key attributes that separates humans from other living creatures (apart from that opposable thumb thing) is our ability to think. Anything that dulls this skill can’t be good for either individuals or society as a whole.

So, do your brain a favour. Just for today trying doing a single activity at a time, and observe the difference it makes. You might not get to send as many emails or keep up with celebrity gossip, but you just might end up being more productive. And that has to be a good thing.