For several years, Professor Susan Greenfield has been concerned about the negative impact of digital technology on the mind and brain, particularly those of young people, and has been forthright when disseminating her views in the media. Although she continues to resist the simple bar of entry for a scientific theory, the submission of a paper to a peer-reviewed scientific journal, her new book, Mind Change, at least attempts to discuss the many published studies that directly tackle her concerns.

Greenfield argues that the effect of digital technology on the mind and brain, what she calls ‘mind change’, should be considered on a par with climate change. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, she argues, reduce empathy, negatively affect social interaction and reconfigure human identity to be audience-focused