I can't remember… The Internet is down.

From piqsels.com Used under Creative Commons Zero - CC0

Last week we were talking about "The New Elephant That Never Forgets ". The fact that when something is posted on the Internet, the chances are high that will become archived either in a personal collection or permanently publicly available so that even if one takes the original document down it is still there "out there". This idea has led to another thought:

Do we even think about the Internet anymore, or do we just use it as a means to an end? I think for most of us, regardless if we are technologically savvy or not, "we don't", it is simply to become something in the background which makes all this technological stuff work. Whether that device be your TV, thermostat, light bulbs, or smart coffee maker. But the Internet is different, in that information is being stored and this is something I think we must be aware of even though it seems harmless. Security issues aside, we are relying on mechanisms and devices outside of our own control to do a lot of the remembering for us. When the Internet connection goes down you are instantly cut off from a large amount of information and material which, 30 years ago would have been written down for safekeeping. Nowadays one literally has to wait for your information come back online. Many of us have entire working days stored in Google Docs.

I think with this reliance on the Internet to do all our "remembering and storing" we have lost something… The ability to remember. From my perspective a good functioning mental memory ability is essential. It not only means were self-contained and don't have to log on to remember that phone number is means you are more aware of yourself and perhaps less absorbed by yourself. This is something we must get back to. Like any other activity there are benefits beyond the activity itself and I think the act of remembering is the cornerstone of a healthy personal psychology.

Feel free to comment below, as always. If you like this short post, you may be interested in another one which is related: The "Internet of things lifespan"