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Almost from the first examples of external memory, the practice has been the subject of much criticism. Detractors of externalized memory assert that recording events and information externally is causing the internal human memory to degrade. In Plato's Phaedrus, Socrates said of writing that it would "implant forgetfulness in [men's] souls". Concerns along these lines were expressed by many throughout history, and at every stage of development. Today this belief is more prevalent than ever, but it focuses mostly on electronic examples of externalities memory. The Google effect, as described above, is a primary example of these concerns.
Much of the criticism about external memory is a product of common misconceptions about memory; specifically, the fact that people are very poor judges of it. Most people believe that they remember far more than they actually do in practice.[1] This is especially true of verbatim memory: generally, a person will recall the general ideas of a text or conversation rather than the exact words that were used. Even so, most people believe that they can recall conversations word-for-word.[2] Because we cannot know what we do not know, people tend to have an inflated view of how well the human mind can remember. As such, it is not surprising that the importance of external memory aids is often underestimated, and the the belief in its purported negative effects is so widespread.
While the idea that externalized memory degrades the innate capacity of humans to remember is prevalent, it is also unsubstantiated. Scientific investigations have failed to demonstrate any connection between technology usage and impaired memory. In addition, studies have concluded that the remarkable verbatim memories held up as the ideal by those who criticize the modern memory are not, in fact, verbatim. Instead, each retelling in oral tradition is a reconstruction of a story using given structural principles, allowing for a great deal of variation over time.[3] Easy access to external sources of information may cause specific information to be remembered less thoroughly, but the overall memory capacity is undiminished. In fact, external memory aids can assist internal memory by providing retrieval cues that allow access to otherwise inaccessible memories.[4]
- ^ Zhang, T., Kim, T., Brooks, A. W., Gino, F., & Norton, M. (n.d.). A "present" for the future: The unexpected value of rediscovery. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e573552014-099
- ^ Foer, Joshua (2011). Moonwalking with Einstein : The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-0-14-312053-7.
- ^ Foer, Joshua (2011). Moonwalking with Einstein : The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 127–129. ISBN 978-0-14-312053-7.
- ^ Zhang, T., Kim, T., Brooks, A. W., Gino, F., & Norton, M. (n.d.). A "present" for the future: The unexpected value of rediscovery. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e573552014-099