digital dementia

Illustration by Jean Julienn

 

“Digital Dementia” is a term coined in 2012 by German neuroscientist, Manfred Spitzer. It refers to how the over-reliance of digital technology causes a deterioration of cognitive abilities, similar to people who have suffered concussions or mental problems. Spitzer proposes that short-term memory pathways will suffer from underuse if we overuse technology.

An example we can all relate to is the way we remember phone numbers — in the past, we were forced to remember strings of numbers by heart because we didn’t have our phones to do that for us. Nowadays, there’s no need for that. Other daily instances include the ease of instantly googling something you don’t know the answer to instead of thinking on the spot, and whipping out our phones to capture moments of our lives that are stored on our camera rolls, often never to be viewed again.

Human memory increasingly relies on the technology offered by our smartphones, and many of us can’t get through the day without our phones in tow — alarms, reminders, events, communication etc. With this shift in how our brains work, its effects will be widespread. As with many topics in psychology, there are more questions than answers on this (vox.com). But some studies have shown that constant photo taking adversely affects our ability to recall experiences, distracts us and takes us out of the moment. In contrast, other studies hint that cameras can enhance our memories of certain experiences.

 

In one study, participants who took photos of objects in

a museum remembered fewer objects and fewer details about these

objects (Henkel, 2014). Media use may further impair memory for the

features of an experience one does not record. For example, in a study

that allowed participants to freely take photographs, participants

showed enhanced visual memory but impaired auditory memory for

photographed events (Barasch et al., 2017). This research provides

converging support for our prediction that media use will impair

memory for experiences.

An excerpt from a journal article in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

 

In a recent study led by consumer psychologist Kristin Diehl, her team found that even though people who took photos remembered visual information better, they were more likely to forget the information they learned in their audio guide when quizzed about it later. In other words, retaining more of what you see may mean you retain less of what you hear: “Since our attention is limited, whatever you devote to visual you can’t devote to other senses,” Diehl explains. It’s not as great a trade-off as it seems. While we generally tend to place more value on our sense of sight than our sense of hearing, studies have shown that auditory processing is important for cognition — especially when it comes to learning and remembering the order and timing of information.

 

“… as vividly visual as our lives have become, perhaps we’re losing out on some of the things that are happening right in front of our ears.” — Jenny Chen, cut.com 

It’s too early to tell if there are definitively adverse effects that come from storing our lives on our phones and using it to record life events, but it definitely affects the way we remember things. With more and more calls for people to be more present and live in the moment, this is an issue worth touching on.

 


 

From a more personal standpoint, I’m fascinated by how listening to a sound (in the form of a song, soundbite etc) can stir up emotions instantaneously. Often times, the songs that hit me the hardest are the unexpected ones. A quick rummage through the memories stored in my brain brings up nostalgic sounds like:

  • the rumble of Maltesers chocolate in a box, an occasional treat from my older sister after swim class
  • the crackle of the PA system blaring the national anthem every morning for 10 years of my life
  • the joyful melodies signalling the imminent arrival of trains at subway stations in Japan.

These sounds might not have meant much in the moment, but in retrospect, hold so much meaning to me now. In a way, they are anchors for my ephemeral, fuzzy memories. Visual memory is often emphasized much more over audio memory.

Jason Kahn, an American musician and writer wrote:

there is also much beauty in the world to be missed by not being conscious of it. And beyond this, the cultivated lack of awareness characterises a growing apathy towards oneself and society in general. By falling out of touch with the world we also lose connection to ourselves.

I wish to explore the sounds that make up our lives and investigate the usefulness of these sounds in the fight against digital dementia.

 

Brainstorming research questions

Below are some possible research questions for my FYP (still in the works).

  • How can we use sounds to recollect memories and combat digital dementia?
  • Do the memories you keep define you as a person?
  • Can we improve audio memory by looking into the past?
  • Do we remember things from our childhood more vividly than our more recent years? (Due to influx of technology and cognitive offloading)

 

Execution

While I’m still finalising my research question, I’d like to conduct personal interviews with people about the sounds that make up their lives. I’m interested to see the kinds of relationships people have with sounds, and whether they remember (more than they realise) life events through sounds.

Some possible questions to start with:

  • What is the first sound you remember?
  • What song reminds you of a fond memory?
  • What does your room sound like?
  • What does your home sound like?
  • What is your favourite place in the world and what does it sound like? Why does it make you happy?
  • What is a sound you hate?
  • What sounds make you sad?

 

I could compile these stories into an experimental book format. Some initial ideas/themes:

> Leaning in to a manual way of recording memories as opposed to digital, the idea of journaling.

> A book contains a story, and our memories are what make up our life stories. (metaphors)

> Using folds, mismatched papers and sizes to represent our brains and how our memories are scattered, fragmented, randomised, ephemeral.

 

https://www.pinterest.com/debbiengsw/book-formats/

 

Research links:

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/3/28/17054848/smartphones-photos-memory-research-psychology-attention

https://www.thecut.com/2017/08/how-taking-photos-affects-your-memory.html

Jean Jullien – Technology addiction

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Debbie Ng

Head in the clouds 90% of the time

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