Technology
Sofia Scardillo
From Curiosity to Convenience: How AI and Instant Media Are Reshaping Curiosity, Critical Thinking, and Identity
Sofia Scardillo is a fourth-year Professional Communication student at Toronto Metropolitan University, minoring in Public Relations. Originally from Vancouver, she has built a diverse background across finance, hospitality, retail, and office environments, and has recently accepted her second financial internship. She is currently the Executive Vice President of the TMU Women in Leadership group, where she is passionate about creating encouraging spaces for connection, growth, and conversation around leadership and equity.
Sofia is especially interested in understanding why people think and behave the way they do. Her academic work focuses on the intersection of human behaviour, media, and technology, with a growing interest in how AI is shaping how we learn, process information, and make decisions in everyday life. Through both her academic and professional experiences, she aims to explore how digital systems are influencing the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
This project explores how AI and instant-answer media are changing the way young adults think, learn, and understand themselves. As digital tools make information more accessible than ever, it examines the growing tension between convenience and deeper cognitive engagement. Drawing on a qualitative review of over 20 academic and opinion-based sources, the project examines how AI can both support and limit critical thinking. While these tools can enhance learning through feedback and guidance, overreliance can lead individuals to depend on technology rather than engage in deeper, independent thought.
The research also explores how fast-paced, algorithm-driven media environments are shaping attention and memory. Constant access to instant content and information can contribute to shorter attention spans, reduced focus, and more surface-level engagement. Additionally, the project examines how AI and personalized algorithms influence identity and self-perception. By curating the content we see, digital platforms play an active role in shaping beliefs, reinforcing biases, and influencing how individuals present themselves online. Grounded in the work of theorists such as Shoshana Zuboff, Nicholas Carr, Eli Pariser, and Stuart Hall, this project examines AI within broader systems of power, consumption, and media influence. Ultimately, it asks whether curiosity is being replaced by convenience, and what that shift means for how we think, learn, and see ourselves in an increasingly AI-driven world.
