Social cognitive neuroscience in the digital age

Abstract

Human interactions are increasingly taking place from a distance through methods of remote interpersonal communication like video chatting and social media. While remote interpersonal communication has existed for millennia-with the first postal system arising in ∼2400 B.C.-accelerated advances in technology and the recent global COVID-19 pandemic have led to a dramatic increase in remote interpersonal communication use in daily life. Remote interpersonal communication presents a challenge to the field of social-cognitive neuroscience, as researchers seek to understand the implications of various types of remote interpersonal communication for the "social brain." The present paper reviews our current understanding of the social-cognitive neural network and summarizes critical differences between the neural correlates of social cognition in remote vs. face-to-face interactions. In particular, empirical and theoretical work is reviewed that highlight disparities in the neural mechanisms of social perception, evaluation of social stimuli, human motivation, evaluation of social reward, and theory of mind. Potential impacts of remote interpersonal communication on the development of the brain's social-cognitive network are also discussed. Finally, this review closes with future directions for research on social-cognitive neuroscience in our digital technology-connected world and outlines a neural model for social cognition in the context of remote interpersonal communication. For the field of social-cognitive neuroscience to advance alongside of the ever-evolving society, it is crucial for researchers to acknowledge the implications and concepts suggested for future research in this review.

Keywords: cognitive neuroscience; digital media; digital technology; remote communication; social cognition.

FIGURE 1

A timeline containing prominent developments in remote interpersonal communication in the past millennium. This timeline’s purpose is to exhibit the rapid progression and evolution in technology in recent years, especially following the invention of the World Wide Web (see Supplementary Appendix A for citations).

FIGURE 2

A visual representation of the keywords used in this review to describe the different types of remote communication.

FIGURE 3

The current model of “The Social Brain,” adapted by Adolphs (2009). All processes work both independently and in concordance with one another to complete self-regulation, reappraisal, and contextual application.

FIGURE 4

The proposed neural model for the remote social brain. “Increased activation” is activation that is present during aspects of remote communication more than during face-to-face communication (green). “Similar activation” is activation present at a similar level during remote communication and in-person communication (yellow). “Decreased activation” is activation that is substantially less present or completely absent in remote communication compared with that of face-to-face (red). (A) Left lateral view of the brain; speckles are to indicate mirror neurons, in that they are affected, but the region as a whole is not; (B) sagittal view; (C) axial view; (D) coronal view. Superior colliculus (decreased) and is not pictured for figure clarity.