Digital amnesia is slowly affecting our brains, making us forget things without us even realising. This has been happening long before AI but AI is not making it any better.
Can you remember…
A phone number of someone you met in the last five years? Road names of somewhere that you didn’t grow up? Your colleagues’ birthdays? What about that thing you found really interesting on the last podcast you listened to?
Digital amnesia is the phenomenon of forgetting information that you know is stored on your phone: phone numbers, addresses, birthdays and the like. Similarly, the Google effect is forgetting information that can easily be found online which, let’s face it, is most things. With the addition of AI, finding answers to your questions is even easier.
Our efficient brain doesn’t bother remembering it because we know it’s stored somewhere easy to access.
Eyes up here
The average person spends 47 seconds on a digital task before switching to the next thing according to Gloria Mark of University of California Irvine. How many notifications will you have checked before the end of this article? Maybe you already have.
Back in 2003 our attention spans were dramatically higher at 2 and a half minutes according to Mark’s book “Attention Span”. The constant clicking between activities, multitasking and having 100 mental tabs open are stopping our brains from creating working memories and then converting them to long-term memories.
Each time we do a task our brains are required to hold and process information but “multitasking disrupts the crucial process of memory consolidation, which is essential for transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory… as a result, our ability to retrieve and recall that information later is diminished” according to the personal wellness website, Power of Positivity.
Multitasking is often believed to be more productive and save time, solving multiple problems at once. Yet in reality, every time we switch a task it takes our brains time to adjust and studies show that our output is lower quality and more prone to errors. Multitasking also leads to increased stress and a reduced attention span as our brains get used to fragmenting and only focusing for a short period.
Your attention is the highest commodity
It’s not your fault. TikTok and other fast-paced mediums are encouraging the rapid flow of information and switching your attention every minute. Your attention is the highest commodity in the modern world, everyone wants a piece of it. From algorithms to billboards to sponsored posts the world around you screams “Look at me”, “No over here!”.
Are we a lost cause?
Okay, it’s not all doom and gloom.
While we lack attention spans, we are better at remembering where the information is or how to access information rather than the information itself. It is argued that this also frees up brain space to process information rather than retain it.
What can we do about it?
Mark says you’re as likely to interrupt yourself as an external notification is. So what can we do about it?
Focus and be intentional – Motivation and attention are the things required to create short-term working memory. Be aware you’re being distracted, or you’ve been sucked into a notification. Make your subconscious conscious and take control of how you spend your time. Build habits of single focusing.
Brain training – You can train your brain to consciously hold on to information.
Holding information: Practice holding information in your mind and gradually increase it each day, it can be as simple as a sequence of colours.
Meditation: Meditation reduces stress and frees up head space, increasing your ability to focus and remember. Before you reach for your phone during some downtime, try 10 minutes of breathing exercises and keep your mind on the present. When a thought enters your brain, acknowledge that it’s there but don’t engage with it, let it pass like a cloud going overhead. With practice, this becomes easier.
Dance: Learning new dance moves is a fun active way that has been proven to help short-term memory and even lower the risk of dementia.
Word a day: Learning a new word a day has been shown to help our brains create and retain information.
Sleep – Sleep is needed to consolidate memories and things that you’ve learnt. It’s one reason why children who are learning and growing need more sleep and naps throughout the day. According to Psychology Today, “sleep boosts memory recall, reduces mental fatigue, and regulates metabolism.”
Know your rhythms – Gloria Mark’s research found that the ability to concentrate ebbs and flows throughout the day. She states that most people have a peak mid to late morning and again about mid-afternoon where they enter a state of creative attention where you don’t notice time passing. Find your peaks and troughs and work with them to create that focused time. Find the right balance of challenge and motivation to get into a flow.
While you’re working to reclaim your fragmented attention, read our blog on Writing content for short attention spans to get the attention of those who aren’t there yet.
Written by: Jasmin Meadows
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