Cyber Sense

The study of the human body and mind begins with the understanding of sensory and motor aspects of the nervous system. This is the incoming and outgoing data that affects our thoughts, memories, moods and actions. There is an incredible amount of data a child receives prior to birth, but we will limit this discussion to data received from the moment of birth and thereafter. From the first few seconds after birth, a baby takes in its first breath of oxygen, feels the cooler outside air on its skin, hears the sound of joy of witnesses, and smells the odor of its mother, before ultimately tasting her breast milk for the first time. All of these incredible first sensations on the first day of life in the outside world. Immediately, the brain takes the sum of all these sensations, millions of neurons sending input to the brain, to start processing the data. Ultimately, the baby starts to react to it. It starts to understand patterns of sensation and comes to expect certain things at certain times. As the baby grows, its musculature and skeleton gain the strength to start movement. This movement is in direct response to its sensory input and environment. With each passing day, the brain processing, association and interpretation of the data becomes more complex because it has to process today's new data and compare it to each of the additional previous day of life. Every day brings new additional data which creates more storage, memory and more complex processing. This leads to more complex motion as the baby begins to crawl, walk and ultimately run in response to data received. As an adult, the amount of sensory input becomes overwhelming. It becomes a challenge to filter out negative, and insignificant data. Focus becomes more difficult. One of the new ways we process things is from cyber sensory input. The data we receive from the internet, more specifically, the social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat to name a few. The majority of the sensory input is what we see, and what we hear. There is no smell, taste or touch through the internet. Or is there? Touch is not only the act of coming in contact with someone or something. It also by definition means "to produce feelings of affection, gratitude, or sympathy". We process an incredible amount of information through the written word. It has more power than any of us can imagine. Each word carries tremendous power if used in the right context. When I write I try to capture what is in my head, relay it to paper or on a screen, and have a sensory impact on someone else far away who I cannot interact with face to face. Words and phrases can elicit strong emotions! How? From your previous experiences in your "real" world around you, your brain has processed enough information to associate certain words with experiences from smells, tastes, touch, sounds and sights. After a while, when you read a certain word or phrase you can immediately have the same feeling or emotion. This is why a good book will never go out of style, though it is apparent in this new computer age that this source of knowledge and entertainment is being challenged. Nonetheless, reading is here to stay in many formats. In the cyber format, we think of data on the internet as customer information such as customer names, home addresses, payment card information, social security numbers, and emails, etc. What is really happening on the internet, especially through social media, is a sensation. Every time you connect with someone, or watch a video, or read a post, you feel something. Your inclination is to respond. That is motor output as a result of the processing of the cyber sensory input. Thus, when we make connections on the internet, we feel the same way as if we met someone in person. We are touched by someone afar! While it is figurative touch and not literal, it has the same impact. After making thousands of connections through social media platforms with people all over the world, I have been touched in ways I never imagined. My goal has always been to travel to every country, and learn about every culture. Yes, all 195 countries. While this is realistically unlikely, I have come so much closer to it happening through this cyber sense that exists here on the internet. We have the ability to connect and be "touched" by others through the mere act of writing a few words on are keyboards that exist thousands of miles apart! Your cyber sense is real and it is a new powerful force in our lives. Travel is one of the few ways you heighten all of your senses like you did when you were a newborn. Until I get back out on the road, the high seas, and the friendly skies to travel to the distant corners of Earth, I can interact with people from everywhere and gather information about other's experiences from afar that was never possible before, and that feels awesome! My cyber sense prompted this article after all, so there must be something coming through the screen that touched me!