Study: Most Americans suffer from ‘Digital Amnesia’

[bitbunnny]

There's definitely some truth to this, but not a lot; the only phone number I remember is my own, everyone else's is stored in my phone which alleviates me from the task of remembering them.  It's not that I forgot, I never learned these numbers to begin with, I didn't need to.  It's no different from writing these numbers in a notebook and referring to this notebook whenever I needed a given number; I don't need to memorize these numbers so it's better that I don't, it'd be wasted mental space otherwise, and wasted time spent in memorization.  To be fair however, this method I mentioned will likely lead to me remembering the numbers anyway, as I'd be punching them in every so often; the phone let's me skip this step as well.  I only remember my own phone number because I inevitably have to give it out; similarly to the point I mentioned about remembering numbers I have to punch in, I remember mine because I often have to give it out.

I don't remember what I did on Monday because there is no need to remember these things.  With or without digital devices, I wouldn't remember such minutiae.  I can tell you what probably happened:

1. I ate some food several times
2. I worked on my projects
3. I went to the bathroom several times
4. I drank some water, and probably a soda, several times
5. I used the Internet at some point in time, probably to watch YouTube

There's really nothing worth remembering as to what specifically happened on this day.  I know some people remember literally everything, but that's not everyone.  What benefit is it to me that I remember what happened on this day?  It's not because my phone stores this data--I don't consciously store any data on my phone about what I do each day--it's because it's not worth remembering.  There are a ton of things I remember about my past, both recent and distant, but just another day in the life is not among those things.  Maybe it's because my life isn't particularly interesting right now; perhaps if I spent the last week traveling, I'd remember my Monday more vividly.

They observe that people forget things, but don't observe whether people have always forgotten things which they don't need to remember.  When they associate it to digital amnesia, they completely miss the idea that people have always stored relevant info, ever since it became easy and permanent to do so.  Had people not done this, they probably would've forgotten what they wanted to remember anyway, or had to spend time and energy memorizing important info.  Where's the digital amnesia here?  There were no digital devices in the 1800's and yet people still stored information and forgot the information they stored--it's the whole reason they write it down, so they wouldn't lose it when they inevitably forget.  Digital amnesia doesn't exist: it does not adequately explain this timeless phenomena, at best it's a trendy term for it.  All that's been changed is the method as to which people record info.

It's obvious that digital devices, such as smartphones, computers etc. makes us more stupid, not clever.

Speak for yourself.  It's all about how you use them.  They're just like any other technology, just a tool.  You were stupid or clever before ever approaching the tool, and the stupid or clever things you do with the tool are an extension of the self; self-degradation is a habitual choice, and so is self-improvement.

I.agree.  It's different from person to person. Digital devices are here to make our life better but you can't allow them to run your life. With them you can be smarter, the key is in the way and the right measure you use them. I would't also sayw that this devices make people more stupid, they just spoil them

[Wilikon]

Why resharing on social media could be making you more stupid

Having to think about whether to share a message may cause 'cognitive overload' that interferes with remembering what it says – and also causes lasting negative effects

Reposting messages on social media makes people stupid, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Cornell and Beijing universities found that the simple act of “retweeting” interfered with people’s understanding of the contents of the message.

Professor Qi Wang, a human development expert at Cornell in the US, said: “Most people don't post original ideas any more. You just share what you read with your friends.

“But they don't realize that sharing has a downside. It may interfere with other things we do.”

Two groups of Chinese students were shown a series of messages on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform in China.

One group was then given the choice whether to repost the message or move on to the next one. The other group were not able to retweet.

The students were then tested about the contents of the messages. The group that had to decide whether to repost or not got almost twice as many wrong answers as the students who simply read the messages. The reposters scored particularly badly for messages they chose to share.

The researchers, who published a paper on their work in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour, said the problem could be caused by “cognitive overload” about the decision whether or not to share the message.

The two groups were also given a test to see how well they understood an article from the New Scientist magazine. The group who had been reposting messages performed less well than the others.

“The sharing leads to cognitive overload, and that interferes with the subsequent task,” Professor Wang said.

“In real life when students are surfing online and exchanging information and right after that they go to take a test, they may perform worse.”

The researchers suggested social media platforms could be redesigned to help people understand the contents of messages rather than get caught up in the decision to share them or not.



http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/social-media-twitter-facebook-weibo-reposting-tweeting-stupid-cornell-beijing-university-a7006591.html

[Hirose UK]

I do not think it happens only to the Americans, the citizens of other countries also suffer.

I think so. even I myself suffer.

anyway this statement is used by some people in my country, not only in America

Ninety-one percent of those surveyed said they use the Internet as an online extension of their brain. Forty-four percent said their smartphone serves as their memory; everything they need to remember is right there in their pocket.