I Blame Google

Are you finding it harder to remember things? I know that I’ve noticed myself searching harder for a word or name a little more often recently.

I thought it was just that I was getting older but I’ve found out that I can blame it all on Google. I thought Google was my friend, the keeper of all knowledge, but a study, led by psychologist Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor from Columbia University, has found that while the internet gives us immediate and constant access to information, we’re becoming more dependent on it as our own personal memory.

Apparently we don’t feel we have to remember things any more because it’s all at our fingertips on our computers, smart phones, iPads or other devices.

Sparrow’s research reveals that we forget things we are confident we can find on the Internet. We are more likely to remember things we think are not available online. And we are better able to remember where to find something on the Internet than we are at remembering the information itself. This is believed to be the first research of its kind into the impact of search engines on human memory organization.

Sparrow’s paper in Science is titled, “Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips.” With colleagues Jenny Liu of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Daniel M. Wegner of Harvard University, Sparrow explains that the Internet has become a primary form of what psychologists call transactive memory—recollections that are external to us but that we know when and how to access. – Colombia Research

The idea of relying on an external ‘memory’ isn’t new. A lot of people can’t remember birthdays and anniversaries because they know that their spouse has taken care of all that information. When we believe that access to the information we require is readily available we tend not to commit the details to memory.

I wonder if you’ve noticed that yourself. Are you forgetting things a little more often? Have you perhaps discovered ways to keep your memory active? Who remembers birthdays at your place? I’d love to hear your thoughts.



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He has worked in radio at Perth's media ministry Sonshine for over 25 years and has previously worked at ministries such as Compassion Australia and Bible Society.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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4 Comments

  • It´s not so much about forgetting – but I panic by the thought of driving somewhere I wasn´t before and the navi might break.

    What did I do before navis were available? I grabbed a city-map, sat down, studied it, marked the points and on I went – alone. On job hunts in large cities. And I always managed to arrive in the right place.

    It´s sad how dependent one can become…

    To avoid panic I usually print out the important things I looked up via google maps – cause… I have to city-maps anymore!

    Everything has a good and a bad side, it seems…

    • I think you’re right about becoming dependent on devices like a GPS. There have been a couple of occasions that we’ve been following directions for a kilometer or two thinking, “We’re going the wrong way”, only to discover we’ve given it the wrong destination.

  • Not sure that’s really my problem, but since it’s a better sounding excuse than “I’m getting old,” I may start putting it to use! Thanks! 😀

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