There’s a popular saying, that “there are two sides of every coin”. There’s always a contradictory point of view, which is entitled to be heard. Technology has transformed our everyday lives and relationships. Smartphones have become an integral and inseparable part of our daily routine. From setting daily reminders on the phone to jotting down notes on the notepad, we require the phone to remember even the smallest of details, but is this dependency on technology heading towards another amnesia?
According to Doctor Kaustubh Mahajan, consultant neurologist, in recent times, an increasing number of people in the age group of 40-50 years have complained of issues of memory loss and increased forgetfulness. Digital amnesia is a phenomenon in which people tend to forget things at a rapid rate due to their over-reliance on technology for keeping a record of their details. It is something that has existed since 2007. This was introduced in the study conducted in Dublin. The study determined the consequence of excessive use of technology as a threat to humankind. The term was also referred to as technology-induced memory atrophy.
Now, coming to how it is caused, in one word - Stress. Overburdening of work and extreme pressures are a few other key factors that are responsible for this disorder. Apart from this, the pandemic has intensified this problem. We have limited social interaction and the work from home/ study from the home system has confined us to the four walls of our room, where we spend most of our time staring at computer screens. Dietary deficiency, lack of sleep, and some medication can also lead to memory loss. Over-reliance on the internet also contributes to digital amnesia. The quick fix of looking up the internet for seeking information/ data reduces the burden on human memory systems. Because people know that the information is just one click away and they can check the internet for the same. Such reliance on the internet refrains us from learning a new skill. Maria Wimber, from the University of Birmingham, says that there seems to be a risk that the constant recording of information on digital devices makes us less likely to commit this information to long-term memory and might even distract us from properly encoding an event as it happens. This also reduces the memory retention capacity of our brain.
We now know everything but coming to something more important is how to avoid it, here are some preventive measures:
Stop carrying your phone when you go off to bed.
Refrain from using the phone as a tool to remember your daily events and important details.
Turn off notifications when the phone is not needed to avoid distraction and keep you focussed on a single task.
Reduce the usage of social media for building connections with people. Stop relying on networking sites to communicate with others. (Keeping pandemic aside)
Try to isolate yourself in a technology-free zone for some time i.e. without the phone, laptop, tablet, wifi or any other form of technology.
Train your brain- You can use Mnemonics to remember information in a simple and easy way.
Comments