Memory in the Digital Age

Abstract

Abstract Digital technologies have changed the everyday use of human memory. When information is saved or made readily available online, there is less need to encode or maintain access to that information within the biological structures of memory. People increasingly depend on the internet and various digital devices to learn and remember, but the implications and consequences of this dependence remain largely unknown. The digital world of tomorrow is likely to be very different from the digital world of today, pushing the study of human memory into a constant state of flux. This chapter provides an overview of research to date on memory in the digital age. It focuses in particular on issues related to transactive memory, cognitive offloading, photo-taking, social media use, and learning in the classroom.