The imperative to remember information has been replaced with the imperative to remember where information is located. parkieblues

“When Nicholas Carr’s article ‘Is Google Making Us Stupid?’ hit newsstands in the July/August 2008 edition of The Atlantic, the reaction was predictably vociferous.

“The essay itself – a 4,175 word editorial monolith of the kind The Atlantic does so well – was a thoughtful exploration of the fear that heavy reliance upon the internet is detrimental to certain cognitive faculties, including (but not limited to) concentration, memory and the capacity for quiet reflection.

“The article was immediately met with a barrage of responses, from cautious endorsement to suggestions Carr was espousing a ‘moronic’ Luddism.

“It has been four years since that particular tempest in a teacup, but it seems uncontentious to claim that these concerns still resonate.

“If nothing else, there is certainly no shortage of evidence in favour of Carr’s observations that the internet is changing our relationship with information in some fairly profound ways.

“In a study published in Science in 2011, US scientists claimed the internet has become a form of ‘external or transactive memory’, with information being stored outside ourselves.

“In the face of this transition, the imperative to remember information has instead been replaced with the imperative to remember where information is located.

“This is what is commonly known as ‘the Google effect’, and is the motivating observation behind theories of extended cognition, such as those of philosophers Andy Clark and David J. Chalmers in their paper ‘The Extended Mind’.

“Meanwhile, another study, conducted by UCLA Professor of Psychiatry Gary Small, showed experienced users of the internet demonstrated increased brain activity in parts of the prefrontal cortex associated with problem-solving and decision-making, as opposed to novice users.

“These changes were not manifest when the two groups were asked to read printed text.” To read this article in its entirety at The Conversation, click here.