Media, Technology, and the Sins of Memory.

Daniel L Schacter

doi:10.1017/mem.2021.3

Abstract

Human memory is prone to error and distortion. Schacter (1999, 2001) proposed that memory's misdeeds can be classified into seven categories or "sins". This article discusses the impact of media and technology on four memory sins, transience (forgetting over time), absent-mindedness (lapses in attention that produce forgetting), misattribution (attributing a memory to the wrong source), and suggestibility (implanted memories). Growing concerns have been expressed about the negative impact of media and technology on memory. With respect to transience, I review research regarding the impact of the Internet (ie, Google), GPS, and photographs. Studies have documented impaired memory following specific tasks on which people rely on media/technology (eg, poor memory for a route after using GPS), but have revealed little evidence for broader impairments (eg, generally impaired memory in GPS users), and have also documented some mnemonic benefits (eg, reviewing photos of past experiences). For absent-mindedness, there is strong evidence that media multitasking is associated with poor memory for a target task (eg, a lecture) because of attentional lapses, suggestive evidence that chronic media multitasking could be associated with broader memory problems, and emerging evidence that technology can help to reduce certain kinds of absent-minded errors. Regarding misattribution and suggestibility, there is clear evidence that manipulated or misleading photos are associated with false memories for personal events and fake news, but no evidence of broader effects on susceptibility to memory distortion. Further study of the impact of media and technology on the memory sins is a fruitful pursuit for interdisciplinary studies.

Highlights

Attempting to understand the nature of memory has long been of interest to scholars working in a wide range of disciplines including psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science, history, law, sociology, and others
The first three are ‘sins of omission’ that describe different kinds of forgetting: transience, absent-mindedness, and blocking
Viewed from the perspective of the seven sins, a question arises regarding the locus of the potential negative impact of the Internet and related forms of technology or media on memory: Which of the seven sins is impacted by technology and media, and how? My reading of the literature is that much of the doomsaying regarding the impending technology-mediated demise of memory applies to what I call the sin of transience, ie, forgetting over time

Summary

Introduction

Attempting to understand the nature of memory has long been of interest to scholars working in a wide range of disciplines including psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science, history, law, sociology, and others. There is some evidence from each of the three areas reviewed (Internet, GPS, and photos) that these forms of technology can impair the ability to retain memories over time, but questions remain concerning the reliability of some of the evidence (ie, Internet and computer effects), and there are data from research on computer effects and photos that highlight conditions under which aspects of memory may be enhanced.

Results

Conclusion