The document discusses how digital memory and social networking may negatively impact personal and professional advancement by interfering with our natural ability to forget past experiences. It presents the hypothesis that the high level of detail with which social media records events hinders forgetting. Forgetting is important for both individuals and society. For individuals, forgetting allows us to move past difficult experiences and live in the present. For society, forgetting allows people to evolve and redeem themselves. However, digital memory makes forgetting the exception rather than the default. This can threaten our sense of time and power over personal information. Potential solutions discussed include developing coping mechanisms like a "memory kit" or "virtual safe" to selectively access past memories.

1. Digital Memory and the
Demise of Forgetting

2. Hypothesis
This thesis presents the hypothesis that the external
memory created by social networking sites and
other forms of digital recording in cyberspace may
have negative consequences for personal and
professional advancement.
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3. THE HIGH LEVEL OF DETAIL WITH WHICH SITES LIKE
FACEBOOK RECORD EVENTS INTERFERES WITH OUR
NATURAL ABILITY TO FORGET, SUGGESTING THAT A
NEED EXISTS FOR DIGITAL FORGETFULNESS. IN
CONTRAST TO WIDELY ACCEPTED NOTIONS OF THE
DESIRABILITY FOR LEGACY THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHIC
AND TEXT-BASED DOCUMENTATION, BEING ABLE
TO QUICKLY SURPASS EVERY DETAIL OF A DIFFICULT
EXPERIENCE, CAN BE ULTIMATELY ADVISABLE FOR
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL BETTERMENT.

4. UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF HUMAN MEMORY IN
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MIGHT PROVIDE AN
EXPLANATION FOR HOW DIGITAL ARCHIVING HINDERS
THE NATURAL PROCESS OF LETTING GO. THIS IN
TURN COULD LEAD TO A SOLUTION THAT WOULD
RESTORE THE ABILITY TO FORGET EVERY DETAIL OF
PAST EXPERIENCES.

5. What is Human Memory?
mem•o•ry (mm-r)n. pl. mem•o•ries the faculty by
which the mind stores and remembers
information
HUMAN MEMORY IS THE FACULTY BY WHICH
THE MIND STORES AND REMEMBERS
INFORMATION

6. Three Main Branches of Human Memory
THERE ARE THREE MAIN BRANCHES OF HUMAN MEMORY: SENSORY,
SHORT TERM, AND LONG TERM
SENSORY MEMORY IS THE INFORMATION WE RECALL THROUGH OUR
SENSES. LASTS A FEW SECONDS
SHORT TERM MEMORY (STM) IS HOW THE INFORMATION WE GATHER
THROUGH OUR SENSES IS TRANSFERRED INTO OUR CONSCIOUSNESS. THIS
IS ACTIVE INFORMATION THAT LASTS UP TO 30 SECONDS. READING THIS
SLIDE IS AN EXAMPLE OF STM.
LONG TERM MEMORY (LTM) IS BROKEN DOWN INTO TWO FORMS OF
MEMORY (MOVE ON TO NEXT SLIDE)
•IMPLICIT (OR PROCEDURAL) MEMORY AND DECLARATIVE MEMORY
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7. IMPLICIT (OR PROCEDURAL) MEMORY IS AUTOMATIC MEMORY THAT HAS
BEEN STORED DUE TO EXCESSIVE PRACTICE OR HABIT; IE. BRUSHING YOUR
TEETH
DECLARATIVE MEMORY IS MEMORY THAT WE CONSCIOUSLY ACCESS.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF DECLARATIVE MEMORY (MOVE TO NEXT SLIDE)

8. !SEMANTIC MEMORY: GENERIC
FACTS; FLORENCE IS A CITY IN ITALY
!EPISODIC MEMORY:
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORIES; I
LIVED IN FLORENCE FOR 4 MONTHS
DURING COLLEGE.

9. What is External Memory?
Information stored outside of the human mind
Forms of external memory
EXTERNAL MEMORY IS MEMORY WE STORE
OUTSIDE OF OUR BRAINS. WE THINK OF
EXTERNAL MEMORY THESE DAYS IN TERMS OF
TECHNOLOGY, SINCE IT IS THE NAME GIVEN TO
PORTABLE DEVICES USED FOR STORING
INFORMATION. HOWEVER EXTERNAL MEMORY
HAS BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN 30,000
YEARS.
UP UNTIL DIGITIZATION, EXTERNAL MEMORY HAS EXISTED IN
ANALOG FORMAT. FORMS OF THIS TYPE OF EXTERNAL
MEMORY INCLUDE (TURN TO NEXT SLIDE)
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10. CAVE PAINTINGS, THE OLDEST FORM OF EXTERNAL MEMORY

11. WRITING. ABOVE IS AN EXAMPLE OF ANCIENT
CHINESE TEXT

12. THE FIRST CAMERA IN 1817

13. TO THE INVENTION OF THE PHONOGRAPH IN 1878

14. TO FILM RECORDING IN 1895.

15. How digitization has revolutionized
external memory
“By eliminating noise, the incremental
forgetting inherent in analog technology, the
notion of originals and copies is rapidly
becoming an outdated concept.” -from Delete: The
Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age, p. 60
THE PROBLEM WITH THE ANALOG FORMAT IS
THAT EVERYTIME SOMETHING IS COPIED,
RANDOM VARIATIONS OR NOISE ARE ADDED TO
THE ORIGINAL INFORMATION. EXAMPLES OF
THIS WOULD BE COPYING A CASSETTE TAPE
OR XEROXING A PAGE FROM A BOOK.
DIGITIZATION HAS REMOVED THAT NOISE AND
IN TURN HAS MADE IT SO THAT COPIES ARE
INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THEIR ORIGINALS.
THIS GIVES ANYONE WHO HAS A COPY
PERFECT ACCESS TO ALL OF THE
INFORMATION OF THAT ORIGINAL.
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16. Forgetting
“Today, with the help of widespread technology,
forgetting has become the exception, and
remembering the default” -from Delete: The Virtue of
Forgetting in the Digital Age, p. 2
BECAUSE OF DIGITIZATION THERE IS A SHIFT IN
THE BALANCE BETWEEN REMEMBERING AND
FORGETTING. SINCE THE BEGGINING,
FORGETTING HAS BEEN THE NORM AND
REMEMBERING THE EXCEPTION.
“TODAY, WITH THE HELP OF WIDESPREAD
TECHNOLOGY, FORGETTING HAS BECOME THE
EXCEPTION, AND REMEMBERING THE DEFAULT”
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17. Why We Forget “My memory,
sir, is like a
garbage heap.”
Funes the Memorious
As INDIVIDUALS we forget
so that we can survive
The famous example of “Funes, the Memorious” by
Jorge Luis Borges
As a SOCIETY we forget
so that individuals can
redeem themselves
Ted Williams, the homeless man with
a “golden voice”
WHY DO WE FORGET?
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18. AS INDIVIDUALS WE FORGET SO THAT WE SURVIVE

19. IF WE AS INDIVIUALS CAN’T FORGET, WE ARE CONFINED
BY MEMORIES OF OUR PAST, WE CANNOT LIVE
AND ACT IN THE PRESENT. THIS IS THE CASE FOR
JILL PRICE, KNOWN AS AJ IN SCIENCE JOURNALS. SHE
HAS SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY MEMORY THAT SHE
CAN REMEMBER EVERY EPISODIC MEMORY DATING
BACK TO WHEN SHE WAS 14. WHEN SHE REMEMBERS
BAD MEMORIES, THE EMOTIONS SHE FELT ARE JUST
AS STRONG AS WHEN THEY HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
SHE DESCRIBES FREQUENT BOUTS OF DEPRESSION
WHERE SHE CAN’T DO ANYTHING BUT STAY IN BED
RELIVING THE PAST.

20. AS A SOCIETY WE FORGET SO THAT
INDIVIDUALS CAN REDEEM THEMSELVES

21. THROUGH SOCIETAL FORGETTING, HUMAN
BEINGS HAVE THE CHANCE TO EVOLVE AND TO
LEARN FROM PAST EXPERIENCES. ROBERT
DOWNEY JR. FELL FROM PUBLIC GRACE IN THE
LATE 90s DUE TO HIS PROBLEMS WITH DRUGS
AND THE LAW. TODAY HE IS WINNING AWARDS
AND MAKING MILLIONS AS SHERLOCK HOLMES
AND IRON MAN.

22. With the demise of forgetting
• Time
• Power
IN HIS BOOK DELETE: THE VIRTUE OF FORGETTING IN THE
DIGITAL AGE, VICTOR MAYER-SCHONBERGER EXPLAINS THAT
WITH THE DEMISE OF FORGETTING WE FACE THE CHALLENGE
OF LOSING TIME AND POWER.
HE GIVES FOUR REASONS WHY EXTERNAL MEMORY NEGATES
TIME
1)IT ACTS AS A MEMORY CUE THAT CAUSES US TO RECALL
EVENTS WE THOUGHT WE HAD FORGOTTEN.
2) IT MAKES IT HARD TO PUT PAST EVENTS IN PROPER
TEMPORAL SEQUENCE
3) BEING CONFRONTED WITH SO MUCH OF OUR PAST IMPEDES
OUR ABILITY TO ACT IN THE PRESENT (LIKE FUNES)
4) BECAUSE DIGITAL MEMORY INTERFERES WITH OUR HUMAN
RECOLLECTION OF EVENTS, WE LOSE TRUST IN OUR OWN
ABILITY TO REMEMBER
AND WITH POWER, WE LOSE CONTROL BECAUSE OF THE
ACCESSIBILTY AND DURABILITY OF THE INFORMATION WE PUT
ON THE INTERNET.…
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23. For
example…
I KNOW THIS FROM FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE. MY
FRIEND UPLOADED THIS PHOTO OF ME AND ANOTHER
FRIEND ONTO FACEBOOK. EVEN IF I ASKED THAT MY
FRIEND DELETE THIS FOR FEAR THAT IT MIGHT LOOK
BAD TO POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS, IT WOULD STILL BE
VISIBLE IN A GOOGLE SEARCH OF MY NAME.

24. The counter argument
• “But you can easily avoid replaying
[upsetting] memories”
• “You can put a lock on those events
you’d like to forget and never open
them up again”
WE’VE SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF FORGETTING, BUT WHAT
ABOUT THE COUNTER ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF
REMEMBERING? GORDON BELL HIGHLIGHTS THE POSITIVES OF
REMEMBERING WITH GREAT DETAIL. BELL IS A WRITER AND
PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER AT MICROSOFT WHO USES A CAMERA
AROUND HIS NECK TO CAPTURE PHOTOS OF PEOPLE HE
MEETS. HE CAN ACCESS THE LAST 10 EARS OF HIS LIFE SINCE
IT’S ALL BEEN SCANNED AND CATALOGUED INTO A PROGRAM
HE MADE HIMSELF. HE HIGHLIGHTS SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF
HOW THIS HAS MADE HIS LIFE BETTER. FOR INSTANCE, WHEN
HE WAS ASKED TO SPEAK AT HIS FRIEND’S FUNERAL HE
TURNED TO THIS PROGRAM TO RECALL SEVERAL PERSONAL
EXCHANGES THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE BE FORGOTTEN.
WHAT ABOUT THE LARGE NUMBER OF US WHO
WOULD PREFER TO FORGET PAST MEMORIES?
WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
FORGETTING, HE HAS SAID THAT IT IS EASY TO
AVOID REPLAYING DIFFICULT MEMORIES.
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25. But for some of us,
avoiding replaying
painful memories is not
easy…
BUT FOR SOME OF US, AVOIDING REPLAYING BAD
MEMORIES IS NOT EASY. WRITER MARTHA WEINMAN
LEAR POINTS OUT THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL AND
BRAINSCAN TESTING OVER THE YEARS SHOWS
DIFFERENCES IN HOW MEN AND WOMEN REMEMBER.
MEN HAVE BETTER SPATIAL MEMORY AND
NAVIGATIONAL ABILITY WHILE WOMEN HAVE BETTER
VISUAL MEMORY. WOMEN ALSO HAVE BETTER
MEMORY FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL EVENTS. ONE
DIFFERENCE THAT STANDS OUT FOR ME IS THAT
WOMEN HAVE BETTER MEMORY FOR EMOTION-
RELATED EXPERIENCES, BOTH POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE. WE TEND TO RECALL THESE EXPERIENCES
WITH MUCH GREATER DETAIL THAN MEN DO.
PERHAPS THIS IS WHY GORDON BELL CAN AVOID
REPLAYING EMBARRASSING MOMENTS AND I CAN’T…
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26. Potential Solutions
• Coping Kit
• Virtual Safe
AND SO FOR THOSE OF US WHO CAN’T AVOID
FIXATING ON THAT FACEBOOK PHOTO OF A RECENT
EX OR ON THE HATEFUL COMMENTS POSTED ON
OUR YOUTUBE VIDEOS, MY PROPOSED SOLUTION
VIRTUAL MEMORY KIT WILL PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH
A WAY TO COPE.
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27. THERE WILL BE THREE FEATURES OF THIS VIRTUAL
MEMORY KIT.
THIS SYSTEM WILL ACT AS A VIRTUAL SAFE TO STORE
INFORMATION THAT ONE DOES NOT WISH TO SHARE
PUBLICLY. IT WILL ALLOW USERS TO CREATE A
HIERARCHY OF THEIR MEMORIES SO THAT POSITIVES
CAN BE SEPARATE FROM THE NEGATIVES. AND MOST
IMPORTANTLY IT WILL PROVIDE AN OUTLET FOR
PEOPLE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS THEY’RE
FACING WITH PAINFUL MEMORIES FORMED IN THE
VIRTUAL WORLD.
THE FORMAT IS TO BE DETERMINED.