Digital Dependence 'Eroding Human Memory'

Crap, my digital dependence caused me to forget what I was going say about this story.

An over-reliance on using computers and search engines is weakening people's memories, according to a study. It showed many people use computers instead of memorizing information. Many adults who could still recall their phone numbers from childhood could not remember their current work number or numbers of family members.

Makes sense. Now I don't have to waste space and time memorizing phone numbers, addresses, birthdays etc. Or having them all written down on a piece of paper that I would lose. Also no one memorized phone numbers in the business world, you used business cards, rolodex's, or any other form of analog data retention to keep that stuff.

well duh

I used to remember tens of phone numbers. I could spell, and do long division.

Computers make us stupid.

I grew up without the internet and I have to say that nobody memorized phone numbers, unless it was someone you called multiple times a day. You wrote numbers down in a book and then forgot where the book was.

Koolthulu said:

I grew up without the internet and I have to say that nobody memorized phone numbers, unless it was someone you called multiple times a day. You wrote numbers down in a book and then forgot where the book was.

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lol, yeah the idea that people simply memorized every phone number they used for anything is insane. Back in the 80's and hell even into the 90's we had a phonebook and a rolodex with a few numbers on speed-dial. The only numbers I did have memorized were my home phone, couple family members, couple friends, and that's it. Yeah, I've had work phone numbers memorized in the past as well, but considering these days I've either had my own extension at my desk with a direct number(and never had a reason to call myself, I'd hand out business cards or it was in my email signature) or a company cellphone with a directory in it... there's no reason to memorize the main office number(or even call it, since I'd just call up another employee directly).

Oh, it's all technology's fault. And here I thought it was just because I'm getting old. What a relief.

I used to remember all of my parents, uncles' and aunts' phone numbers. And all extension numbers for everyone I dealt with at work regularly.

I still know my DL # and SS#. But for the life of me I cant remember my car's plate number.

thought it was all of the pot!

I mean, where to start with this..I guess first I should point out that I tend to agree with this. Just going off the general trends I see in the regular certifications I take, it seems to prove more and more true. Now granted this is anecdotal, but I still feel it is pretty applicable.

Last week I went through a week long course for insurance licensing. Compared to stuff I've done in the past (Cisco, MS, Juniper etc), quite frankly the material was easy. Now I know it is difficult to directly compare, but I feel like the general trends people show when it comes to memorizing is pretty indicative. Years back when I started doing IT type classes and I'll point out a time where smart phones and google were far less common or didn't exist, the interaction in classes was vastly different. People seemed to retain more knowledge between classes and the teacher/student interaction was far better with the instructor throwing questions and people responding back with answers. Now my most recent experience was the instructor doing the usual and just being met with silence repeatedly unless me or one other answered. Now pertaining to this insurance thing, the material flatly wasn't hard. By not hard I mean, I spent at most 45 minutes a night reviewing while most of the others who fall squarely into the "Google" generation, would average 3-4 hours by their own accounts. Out of that week long class, the two of us who I mentioned who were usually answering the questions because we apparently had the better memory, passed the test with ease. Almost to a one, the rest of the group took the test 2 days later as most scheduled for monday vs our Sat and every single one of them failed. This again I stress is an Easy test and is nothing more than an exercise in memorization. I feel like 10+ years ago, this never would of happened, at least not at these odds. It was like this group of people couldn't memorize hardly anything.

Its pretty clear people like letting other people think for them, letting a device remember for them from a curated database is pretty logical progression.

Another article where the author just started understanding a new concept, and then runs off the deep end thinking they discovered the atom bomb.
While the base concept is correct, we don't have to remember a lot of things we used to, this actually just means we are no longer memorizing trivial knowledge, and are now using the same memory stores to facilitate more complex understandings of our reality.

Our brain doesn't shut off, it adapts.

We aren't memorizing the same things anymore. You only need to know a couple of phone numbers. The other 100 are too many to memorize, so your phone stores them.

Things you need to know? Social Security number, bank password, primary checking account number, passwords for your two most needed wireless networks, passwords for facebook or netflix, password for one or more primary PCs, pin number for ATM card, pin number for phone login, 4 digit security number for one or more credit cards...

And that's why I don't bother memorizing numbers that are anything less than near daily use. Who really needs to know their license plate number or DL number off the top of their heads unless you drive for a living? Who needs to know more than their own cell number and one or two family members?

I own my business, so obviously I know the phone number and address for mine, they are daily use.

Yeah, there's still a $h!^ ton of numbers we have to memorize, just not the same ones from back in the 1980s.

but now i have to remember how to use a computer or device...

I would agree with the argument of the piece, I mean I don't have a need to memorize allot of minor little things anymore, I think that's great, more room for doing real work and problem solve.

Might not be so good for professions that need memorization etc though, like doctors and pharmacists for example, but I'm sure they got enough on their plate to keep their memories trained for such tasks, unlike Engineering professions, for example, that are more problem solving related.

Its simple. Instead of memorizing numbers, now we memorize logins, passwords, and everything else in between.

Memories are not perfect and in many cases an incorrect fact is much more detrimental than spending the time to get it right. Guessing a wrong dosage or coming up with the wrong physical constant or formula doesn't matter much on a college test but in the medical or engineering professions getting the answer right is far more important.
I try to delegate memorization to storage devices that are far better than my brain. I save datasheets, emails, and documents which are far easier to search and reuse. I use Google and Wikipedia to look up information that I don't use daily. I have family members that change their phone numbers every time the switch providers, why bother memorizing them?
Frankly, today's computing devices and Internet has far more capacity than my brain could ever handle. It is far more effective to learn how to index and relate facts and ideas rather than memorizing their details. More often than not I look something up and save myself from reinventing the wheel or redoing work. It is easier to stand on the shoulders of giants when modern technology gives us an elevator to the top.

I'd have to say its a classic case of... the smart(ish) use the tech to get smarter... the rest get dumber.

Yeah I've always though this is sort of bullshit. Sure I don't remember phone numbers anymore. But maybe my brain capacity is now more available for other more useful shit than someone's phone number?

Either the article was shittily written or the study does not adequately take into account what our mind might be replacing that phone number with. If you know you do not need to retain certain information because it is readily available elsewhere, doesn't it make sense that our mind would easily forget it? Our brain is incredibly adaptable and I'm much more inclined to say the glass is half full than empty when it comes to these "tech is making us dumber" articles.

News flash: Using pen and paper notebooks back in the day, promoted poor memory retention.. similar argument, different age.

I still remember most main phone numbers I need (including the ones mentioned above).

I often search out URLs for peoples' later consumption, in regards to physically discussed topics.
My favourite thing for this, is URL shorteners. It's like a modern phone number or address. One can remember and carry a lot of neat info links by mind that way.

http://blazeitnig.ga/

Memorize the content for the exam? Pfft, way easier to just Google during the exam!

N4CR said:

News flash: Using pen and paper notebooks back in the day, promoted poor memory retention.. similar argument, different age.

I still remember most main phone numbers I need (including the ones mentioned above).

I often search out URLs for peoples' later consumption, in regards to physically discussed topics.
My favourite thing for this, is URL shorteners. It's like a modern phone number or address. One can remember and carry a lot of neat info links by mind that way.

http://blazeitnig.ga/

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You're gonna have to go way back before you find an argument where writing things we bad for memory. I've never once in my life heard that argument. I've always been told that writing is one of the best ways to commit something to memory. This particular teaching goes back even further in history as at one point we used it as a means to teach and punish misbehaving kids, write x on the chalkboard x times after school.

I've said that often during my time here. I didn't need a study to name what was perfectly obvious. We shift hardly anything over to our long-term memory these days.

Dekoth-E- said:

You're gonna have to go way back before you find an argument where writing things we bad for memory. I've never once in my life heard that argument. I've always been told that writing is one of the best ways to commit something to memory. This particular teaching goes back even further in history as at one point we used it as a means to teach and punish misbehaving kids, write x on the chalkboard x times after school.

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Sure writing something down 1000 times may help you remember it, but not just once, like you would with a phone number. You write the number down in a book and then go look at the book when you need to remember it.That is no different than putting a number in your phone and looking it up there when you need it.

People's memories are no worse now than they were 30 years ago. We just choose to concentrate on different things now.

Koolthulu said:

Sure writing something down 1000 times may help you remember it, but not just once, like you would with a phone number. You write the number down in a book and then go look at the book when you need to remember it.That is no different than putting a number in your phone and looking it up there when you need it.

People's memories are no worse now than they were 30 years ago. We just choose to concentrate on different things now.

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It's total bullshit, without Wikipedia and search engines, a good chunk of people in IT would be out of a job. I think the internet has made some people smarter because they have learned over the years how to ask the right question and sort through a metric fuckton of information quickly to find their answer. Without this ability most people in IT would be out of a job.

Steve said:

Crap, my digital dependence caused me to forget what I was going say about this story.

An over-reliance on using computers and search engines is weakening people's memories, according to a study. It showed many people use computers instead of memorizing information. Many adults who could still recall their phone numbers from childhood could not remember their current work number or numbers of family members.

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Or forget the fact that this is a repost... http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1867468

Chaos Machine said:

It's total bullshit, without Wikipedia and search engines, a good chunk of people in IT would be out of a job. I think the internet has made some people smarter because they have learned over the years how to ask the right question and sort through a metric fuckton of information quickly to find their answer. Without this ability most people in IT would be out of a job.

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Why remember useless things like a frickin parrot? The capability of the mind is best used for problem solving not silly things such syntax or Jennifer Lopez's latest outfit. For a software developer in an industry where technology moves at a lightning pace, the person who can remember his syntax is called a "legacy developer" and often close to retirement.