Digital Memory and the Demise of Forgetting

(Can’t think of anything better at the moment)

This thesis presents the hypothesis that the external memory created by social networking sites and other forms of digital recording in cyberspace may have negative consequences for personal and professional advancement.

Hypothesis

What is Human Memory?

mem•o•ry  (mm-r)n. pl. mem•o•ries the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information Oxford

Dictionary

Three Main Branches of Human Memory

Memory is a two-step process

• The first step of memory is committing information to long term memory

• The second step of memory Is retrieving that information

What is External Memory?

Information stored outside of the human mind

Forms of external memory

How digitization has revolutionized external memory

“By eliminating noise, the incremental forgetting inherent in analog technology, the notion of originals and copies is rapidly becoming an outdated concept. All digital copies are indistinguishable from the original. This has the advantage of giving everyone who possesses a ‘copy’ perfect access to all of the information and value of the original” -from Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age, p. 60

Forgetting

“Today, with the help of widespread technology, forgetting has become the exception, and

remembering the default” -from Delete: The Virtue of

Forgetting in the Digital Age, p. 2

Four factors that have contributed to forgetting becoming the exceptions:

Digitization Cheap storage Easy retrieval Global Reach

Why We Forget

As INDIVIDUALS we forget so that we can survive

As a SOCIETY we forget so that individuals can redeem themselves

The challenges presented by the demise of forgetting

• Power – Accessibility

– Durability

– Comprehensiveness

• Time

Wouldn’t we rather remember than forget?

Good memories are worth remembering (show info graphics for list below)

• Captured moments that bring us happiness• Birthdays and wedding anniversaries• Provide companies with knowledge necessary to operate• Prevent society from making the same bad mistake twice

But what about bad memories?

• “But you can easily avoid replaying [upsetting] memories”

• “You can put a lock on those events you’d like to forget and never open them up again”

But for some of us, avoiding replaying painful memories is not easy…

Memory and gender

The greatest challenge

• so for those of us who can’t avoid fixating on an ex’s Facebook profile or the hateful comments posted on our Youtube video, there is another challenge that we face with the demise of forgetting: the ability to cope

Potential Solutions

• Coping Kit

• Virtual Safe