Forgetting in the Digital Age: Are Smartphones Weakening Our Memory? 

Either forgetting is a common issue for everyone, or memorising anything is not an option anymore. Whether it’s missing an important task, their anniversaries, or forgetting the names of their classmates, these familiar incidents are happening daily in life. Do you remember old Hindi songs, but not unable to remember new, recent songs? This question might lead to another question: Are we bound to too many things, or are devices like smartphones replacing our memory capacity? 

In today’s ever-changing world, the usage of digital appliances in day-to-day tasks is increasing, and people are overly relying on smartphones. Storing information, connecting with others, searching for relevant information, and writing a to-do list are dependent on digital technology. Our immense mental work, including memory capacity, is being externalised by mobile and other applications. This can raise the question of whether mobile phones are weakening our memory. 

Read More: What if Smartphones ceased to exist in an Induced Lockdown?

How Does Memory Play a Role in Our Lives? 

All functioning in human life revolves around memory. It helps us remember important things related to others and ourselves. Encoding, storing and retrieving are the defined abilities of memory. We make decisions, choose alternatives from the influence of our past, form opinions, and recognise identities based on strong memory. Earlier, it was divided into three types, such as sensory memory, short-term memory, long long-term memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968). This cognitive system of our brain helps us hold on to our memory for bringing it back whenever it is required, but the digital era is changing our wiring in the brain. 

Digital Amnesia 

The term digital amnesia has been coined since 2007, which refers to the forgetting of information that we always sought from the usage of digitalisation (Lodha, P., 2019, February 8).. A Kaspersky Lab study about digital amnesia in 2015 across India, the USA, and Europe. That study highlighted that 50% of Indian people find the internet as essential as their brain. And, 91.2% of Americans use the internet frequently.

Most often, people are making notes on phones, setting reminders for birthdays, or not making calls with recalled numbers. This can explain how people are taking assistance from outwards other than memory storage. In cognitive science, it is known as “cognitive offloading.” When we use devices to store information, we do not take efforts to use our mechanisms to save it, so recalling gets difficult (Risko & Gilbert, 2016). The more you depend on external sources, the more you make our memory weak, and it can be a hindrance to the process of memorisation. 

Read More: What are the effects of smartphones and technology on Children?

Criticism of Human Forgetfulness in Today’s World

Some experts said that people aren’t forgetting everything; they’re just remembering different items or where they put them. So, it is not right to put all the blame on technology. Wegner in 1987 came up with a collective memory system which worked on interconnections in the group, just like we depend on diaries, phones, in this people are interdependent on group members’ memory or specific expertise.

This is called as transactive memory, in which they themselves do not find the information but are aware of the source (Wegner, 1987). For instance, you may forget your teacher’s contact number, but you know where it is saved in your smartphone. Among colleagues and relationships transactive memory system is used implicitly or explicitly.

We are using the same type of memory system while utilising the large capacity of devices. Smartphones can, to an extent, act as an additional form of mental storage. Our cognition can use the remaining space for other functions, such as logical thinking and creativity. But, because of this, we can not form long-term memories without the use of technology. 

Read More: The Phantom Phone Syndrome: Why We Imagine Hearing Notifications That Don’t  Exist 

How are Youngsters Affected by the Quickness of Smartphones? 

Millennials and Gen Z are the most vulnerable population in the crisis of relying on smartphones. Especially, children and youth’s memory retention ability is affected by digitalisation. Their brains are still developing, and they are going through many changes, including identity formation. That is the time when they are learning novel concepts, skills and practising them to retain them. If the children are not involved in the repetition of memorising, even finding the support of digital tools, then they can not develop their memory mechanisms. 

Research by Sparrow et al. (2011) highlighted that if people get the assurance of accessibility of information, then they are less likely to take the initiative to recall information later. This is the Google Effect. While making school-level projects, children have been drawn to Google searches to find information, so their studying habits are less about acquiring knowledge and more about typing accurate keywords.

Read More: Setting up Reminders Can Reduce Our Cognitive Load

Emotional Memories 

Smartphones cannot provide the richer experiences of the outside world. A study by Henkel (2014) observed that people who took photos of objects in a museum forgot more details than those who simply observed them. Constantly scrolling through screens might keep you away from the present moments of happiness. For deeper processing of life events, living in them fully is essential. Emotional connections are formed by activating all the senses, which can create long-lasting memories.  You might remember one of the most striking memories of your lifetime, something you lived fully and experienced with every emotion. 

Conclusion 

Smartphones themselves are not harming us, but dependency and excessive use can destroy many good things. Over-reliance can hamper cognitive development and the formation of skills. Memory pathways may become weaker. In an ever-changing world, people’s innate skills, like memorising, are becoming outdated and are being replaced by finding online sources. While this is a flexible and easy alternative, it comes with downsides. According to studies, attention, focus, emotional sensitivity, and observational skills might be reduced. Digital engagement has to be mindful and controlled; it should not overpower our habits or decision-making. If used wisely, it can become a key to success—not failure—by enhancing memory rather than replacing it. Human memory must be nourished, as it empowers us to be intelligent and conscious. 

Let’s not lose it. Let’s preserve it. 

“Erosion of institutional memory in a digitally documented world is a real, and increasingly urgent, threat.”

Tim Cook 

FAQs 

1. How does social media affect our memory? 

Yes, it is affecting memory. It has given quick access to share memories. And this is increasing the digital engagement, but not enhancing the formation of long-term memories. Because people are doing it for likes and dislikes, temporary connections are seen in life moments. The emotional bond has been left aside. 

2. How do I improve my memory? 

• Be attentive. 
• Try to focus on one thing at a time. 
• Give your whole heart and soul to a particular topic. 
• Revise it again and again
• Exercise to improve body-mind coordination. 
• Sleep enough to retain knowledge. 
• Eat nutritious food 
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle 
• Try memory techniques like taking small breaks, mnemonics, and inculcate the habit of semantic learning 

3. Why am I so forgetful? 

There are many reasons. Excessive stress, lifestyle choices, nutrition deficiencies, health conditions, or over-reliance on smartphones.