Technological Narrowing: How Digital Systems Compress Human Cognition

Technological Narrowing: How Digital Systems Compress Human Cognition introduces technological narrowing as a structural diagnostic for understanding how digital infrastructures reshape cognitive capacity. The paper argues that digital platforms do not merely influence attention but systematically compress cognitive range by privileging speed, novelty, emotional salience, and algorithmic reinforcement. Drawing on research in media psychology, algorithmic systems, and interdisciplinary studies, the analysis shows how engagement‑optimized architectures reduce the capacity for sustained reasoning, cross‑domain synthesis, and structural analysis. The paper extends this argument into institutional contexts, demonstrating how technological narrowing becomes systemic when digital infrastructures are adopted in education, governance, media, workplaces, and healthcare. As these systems normalize fragmented attention and predictable cognitive pathways, narrowing becomes embedded in governance and knowledge production. SignalRupture positions technological narrowing as a structural force rather than an individual deficit, arguing that cognitive autonomy in the digital era depends on restoring breadth, meta‑research, and cross‑domain synthesis.