How Technology Is Warping Our Memory

"Millennials' memories are rapidly degenerating.  So-called "senior moments" are becoming increasingly common among younger people... and it's thought to be due, at least in part, to excessive reliance on technology. A 2013 Trending Machine national poll found that millennials (aged 18-34) are more likely than those over the age of 55 to forget what day it is (15 percent vs. 7 percent) and where they put their keys (14 percent vs. 8 percent)... Rising stress levels (which may also have something to do with constant connectivity) could be a factor as well.  'Stress often leads to forgetfulness, depression and poor judgment,' Patricia Gutentag, family and occupational therapist. 'We find higher rates of ADHD diagnoses in young adults'."

How Technology Is Warping Your Memory
by Carolyn Gregoire, The Huffington Post, 11 December 2013

Take a moment to think about the last time you memorized someone's phone number. Was it way back when, perhaps circa 2001? And when was the last time you were at a dinner party or having a conversation with friends, when you whipped out your smartphone to Google the answer to someone's question? Probably last week.

Technology changes the way we live our daily lives, the way we learn, and the way we use our faculties of attention -- and a growing body of research has suggested that it may have profound effects on our memories (particularly the short-term, or working, memory), altering and in some cases impairing its function.
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