I recently read a article on Steemit.com by 
It's easy to "forget" things if you can save it
Betsy Sparrow found this out in a experiment involving 46 college students. When asked questions they were unfamiliar with and those word related to computer related words (Google, Browser, Internet) there was a longer delay opposed to words not related to computers (telephone, paper, pencile). Other experiments had similar results. For instance volunteers were asked to read 40 trivia statements and then type them into a computer. Later they would write down as many as they could remember. The volunteers were found to remember fewer facts if they were told their work would be saved. If they were told the words would be erased from the PC they were able to recall more of the words.
An international survey in Russia had similar results. Kaspersky Labs quizzed 6,000 people. They found that 40 percent of people Google information before even try to remember it. Another quarter forgot the answer to a question right after finding it out. This is because they assume they can look it up again later. Some people go as far to argue that this is the result of instant information. The easy access is actually making us “dumber” if you will.
This isn’t the only area of technology where our memory can be impacted.
Yes, there is more. We can't remember directions as well.
Hugo Spiers found similar results in another study relating to memory and GPS. When using GPS for navigation the hippocampus part of the brain was less active. But when people remembered directions while driving the hippocampus was more active. This falls in line with earlier studies which have shown that people remember directions better when thinking about it. Relying on GPS constantly and then not having it people found it harder to recall directions.
The question is what does this all mean. Is the “google effect” making us all dumber?
Not exactly. Most of the researchers agree that it’s not making us dumber. It’s more that the human brain is reorganizing itself. Instead of remembering a fact they find people remember how to locate necessary information. My personal thoughts is it’s debatable if that is a good or bad thing. Calling on stored knowledge somewhere is nothing new. For instance, think about how often you do this at work. How much do you remember off of the top of your head. and how many things do you have written down on a piece of paper somewhere? While I can remember eighty percent of my job off of the top of my head there are still many things I keep written down on paper to reference. I just see this as an extension of that but in technology form.
That being said you don’t want to make yourself totally dependent on Google or the internet. For instance what will happen if you need to get somewhere and your cell phone isn’t working or you lose signal. What about if you need to remember some key piece of information but looking it up on your phone isn’t a option. Like anything there is a balance between convience and also being practical. Now you’re probably wondering, “Well what’s the answer?” I’m not saying to lock your phone away forever. The simple answer to just learn things often and frequently. What most people don’t realize is that remembering things isn’t the hard part. Things we learn are first stored in short term and then long term memory. Along with this learning has been shown to help the brain form new neurons in certain areas of the brain. A process known as Neurogenesis.
What is the answer?
We don’t really have a problem in “forgetting” things. It’s more just difficulty in recalling information from our long term memory. Repetition and always learning make this process easier. Next time you’re driving somewhere try to take the time to learn the route. Then try to drive part or all of it without relying on your GPS right away. This answer is simple.
Take time each day to learn something new. Especially things which are areas of interest of you. Don’t wait until you need some random fact to look it up online. Even here on Steemit.com take ten minutes to read some of the awesome articles here about something that interests you. Make sure to just take a few minutes to actually read everything, let the information set in. If you’re always learning you’ll be amazed at how many things you can remember.
For things of more importance to remember such as work, school, etc. You can even go one step further. There are dozens of memory boosting techniques to help you remember vital information. The method of loci (or mind palace as some call it) is one such method. Others include flash cards, writing things down, saying stuff out loud and many other techniques. In the future I will write write a piece detailing different memory techniques you can employee. These will help to sharpen your memory. While google isn’t making us dumber it is making it harder to properly remember things. The answer is to just take a break from googling stuff and instead focus on learning new things.
I hope you enjoy this piece. If so please comment below. Feel free to upvote, resteem and follow me for more stuff like this.
Sources:
http://academicearth.org/electives/internet-changing-your-brain/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/eyes-the-brain/201101/how-grow-new-neurons-in-your-brain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci
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