Memory Tools

             Nicholas Carr, author of the book The Shallows makes it clear that he believes computers, more specifically the internet, has certain effects on our humans. In chapter nine Carr states, "As people grew accustomed to writing down their thoughts and reading the thoughts others had written down, they became less dependent on the contents of their own memory" (Carr 177). This quote jumped out at me. As I read it for the first time I immediately pictured myself studying information offline and writing it down for my test the night before. Because I could visualize myself doing this right away I automatically believed what he was saying. However, the more I thought about this quote in depth, the more I noticed that I was forming a different opinion completely. 

             Nicholas Carr believes and provides support through example that our memories begin to lose their function when we read or listen to information given to us and write information down. Most people I know have done this at some point in their lives. In class I listen to what a teacher is telling me in a lecture and I take notes, this way I have something to look back on and refresh my memory. Everyone I know takes notes in class. People write down information because it is a learning strategy. However, this does not mean that our memories are less reliable because we are writing the information down. In Carr’s quote he claims that people become less dependent on what they remember and more dependent on what notes he or she took. This can be true sometimes, but not always. 

             I find that I do rely more on the notes that I take in class as opposed to my short term memory only, or even the text book assigned to me. I read through my notes to ensure that I remember what the teacher was trying to get across, personal examples he or she may have used as well as the tone of voice in which he or she was speaking. All of these factors come in to play while I study because they help me to actually learn. Whether I am writing my notes down in a notebook or typing them on my laptop, they are still useful tools to look back on. My brain and memory function the same way, they are tools to helping me learn. Although people have to be reminded of things sometimes, it does not mean that our brains and memories have no use. All it means is that our minds are not 100% reliable all of the time. This is why people write things down and take notes. If our minds could possibly remember every single bit of information fed to it then there would be no need for tests. People cannot recall everything they are exposed to once, we need repeated exposure in order to store it in our long term memories. I feel that our memories are not more or less reliable due to the internet.

- Kaitlin MacKinnon