BRADASSNEWS.COM: Computers Stealing our Memories?

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Computers Stealing our Memories?

Weird question going through my mind this Friday.

How has the internet damaged our memories?

When we try to find an answer to a question, what do we do? We quickly Google it and then find the answer in mere seconds.

Now, do you feel that this way of discovering answers makes us remember the answers less. I do. Think about it. The old way to find answers was to do extensive research, reading, and asking questions. Your memory of the answer is probably better because you have a story on how you found your answer. Example being, I know what happened to the dinosaurs, because I found the answer in a book, at the Public Library, which a hot librarian gave to me. Now, with the internet all of the stories or journeys of how we came to answer questions has the same plot, "I Googled it!" And that is not a very memorable story.

We may have shutdown part of our memory because, subconsciously we know that the computer's memory/internet's information remembers what we need to know. Think about it in evolutionary terms. Animals evolve based on what's required for them to survive and succeed. So, if the computer can do the remembering required for us to succeed, why would we keep on doing it. I am not saying we are going to lose all of our memory but It's almost as if we have outsourced part our memory to a third party, which can do it better and more efficiently. The computer is India for our brains.

As the computers get smarter do we get dumber, because we can rely on them more?

I emailed, this whole thing, to some friends and here are their interesting comments.

This one is from my buddy Pete.

I agree, sometimes I have an internal debate whether the internet allows me to LEARN MORE or FORGET FASTER.

...and this is a different, more optimistic view from, Mikey G

I like where your heads at here Bradley, but I would say that this allows our heads to be more clear and not so full of information. Information clouds our minds and takes us out of the present moment. If we know that every answer we will ever want to know is at the touch of a button, then I think its more possible to be carefree and not worry about acquiring and retaining certain information...

...and one more from, Scoot MaGoot

I think there is certainly something to the increase in how quickly we can access data and the rise of people being diagnosed with ADD. I don't know that it has decreased overall intelligence though, I mean even if you might not remember something off the top of your head you remember how you accessed that information and could repeat that task rather quickly. I'd think that you could actually retain more information like this because instead of trying to keep everything in your head you really only need to keep a "placeholder" so to speak.

Thanks guys

This was just something fun to think about on a Friday. And no, I am not on drugs!

If anyone knows Malcom Gladwell, will you please get him to do the research and write a book about it. Or, if anyone wants to write a Sci-fi screenplay feel free to take this idea and run with it.