Can’t Remember, Just Google It

“What’s it called again? It’s a kind of spatula.The thing you use to spread frosting on a cake….” Chances are you have gone through such an experience of trying so hard to remember the name of something and being able to clearly see it in your head but unable to put a name to it. An easy solution is to google it.

In his book Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds For The Better, Clive Thompson explains that because this experience is very common it has been given the name “tip-of-the-tongue syndrome” with varying terms worldwide. He continues to explain how we have become reliant on technology and specifically the internet to help us “remember” things. This then raises the question of whether or not the internet negatively impacts our memory. Are we becoming too reliant on the internet that we no longer need to remember things because they are just a few clicks away? Thompson speaks of this concern of many including Socrates who worried that new technologies, mostly writing, (which is now made available to a wider audience through the internet) “would destroy our factual knowledge”. Thompson argues, however, that not having to fill our minds with remembering small details helps us to think in complex ways without worrying about forgotten details. He also argues that even without the internet, we rely on other people, writing things down, etc. (not just our minds) to help us remember things. In this way, the internet is just another instrument that we use to help us with details. Thompson uses this to support his argument throughout his book that technology and the internet have actually made us smarter and more efficient humans.