Fight Digital Amnesia [A Complete Guide to Reclaim Your Memory]

Technological progress, for all its undeniable benefits, has introduced a number of complex phenomena into our lives, including "digital amnesia." At its core, this is the tendency to forget information that we entrust to our gadgets for storage—things like birthdays, addresses, to-do lists, and phone numbers.

This has also given rise to another phenomenon: the "Google effect." This occurs when we feel no need to commit information to memory because we know we can easily find it again through a search engine.

The Negative Impact of Digital Amnesia on Cognitive Processes

The mental processes that are negatively affected by digital amnesia include:

1. Attention and concentration.
2. Memory and the ability to learn.
3. Sequential thinking and personal goal-setting.
4. Social perception.

Statistics on Digital Dependence

According to research fr om 2015¹:

• The vast majority of gadget users acknowledged a digital dependence on their electronic devices as tools for storing knowledge.
• 91% of those surveyed use the Internet as an "external hard drive" for their memory.
• 50% of respondents immediately turn to Google before even trying to recall something on their own.
• Nearly half of all people instantly forget the facts they find in search engines.

To determine how the Internet affects memory, scientists from Columbia and Harvard Universities also conducted a study². According to their results, the Internet's impact on memory was significant: participants who faced difficult questions first thought of computers and showed greater forgetfulness when they knew the information would always be accessible.

Information Overload and Its Effect on Us

The development of digital methods for storing and sharing information is the main reason for the explosive growth in the amount of data available to us. It reaches the user in a matter of seconds. These processes impact our individual consciousness, presenting challenges we've never faced before. Our cognitive load increases substantially, while our capacity for self-control diminishes. The endless stream of information and its constant availability influence our thought patterns and behavior, which can ultimately lead to addiction, mental health disorders, and a fragmentation of the self.

Characteristics of the Modern Information Environment

1. Accessibility and high-speed information transfer.
2. No effort is required to obtain it.
3. Aggressive imposition of irrelevant information.
4. A one-sided presentation of information (e.g., targeted ads, curated news feeds based on interests) that distorts our worldview.
5. Societal dependence on communication technologies.

Scientists around the world are sounding the alarm, recognizing that digital technologies are causing information overload and a decline in memory. It has already been proven that our gadgets can trigger a process of brain degradation. The brain devalues information as easily as it acquires it. The psyche sees no point in storing something in memory that already exists in an "external memory." This problem is particularly acute in children and adolescents³.

Nomophobia and Digital Dementia

In Europe, specialized clinics have emerged to treat "nomophobia" (the fear of being without one's mobile phone) and "digital dementia."

Meditation as a Tool to Combat Digital Amnesia

Modern information technologies open up a world of possibilities. The challenge lies in learning how to use these opportunities without causing harm to our personalities and social relationships. We need a mechanism for adapting to this new information environment. Solving this problem requires personal effort from each of us to help balance the "person-society-information" system.

Modern technology offers an endless stream of information, while our brains need periods of "free-roaming"—time without articles, messengers, or podcasts. In this state, the brain performs crucial work: it processes received information, searches for connections, and forms knowledge. Meditation can be a revolutionary practice in this regard. Scientists have proven that meditation has a positive effect on the development of cognitive abilities (clarity, creativity, focus, reasoning, and deduction)³⁴. Therefore, meditation can help compensate for the potential consequences of digital amnesia and the Google effect.

How Digital Amnesia Develops

By simplifying our lives, digital technologies lead to us using our brains less often. The brain, after all, always chooses the simplest algorithms for processing information. This leads to thinking errors and cognitive biases. Digital amnesia is one of these glitches—a case of your brain trying to help but ultimately doing more harm than good. From a "rational" standpoint, it simplifies its job by reducing the information load.

The Consequences of Digital Amnesia

1. Low Cognitive Performance. Easy access to information, as well as the constant push of irrelevant content from media sources, leads to our cognitive resources being filled with "information junk food" and becoming depleted. This contributes to cognitive biases, inaccurate judgments, and illogical interpretations.
2. Distraction and Forgetfulness. For example, a new email can arrive just as you're browsing the news. And looking at that email might be interrupted by a notification from a messaging app. This distracts and scatters your attention. This decline in concentration doesn't just happen while you're using a device; it spills over into all other areas of your life.
3. Problems with Spatial Orientation. The habit of relying on a smartphone or GPS weakens our ability to use landmarks, and we struggle with planning routes. Furthermore, problems can arise with our own body awareness and perception of time, places, and other people.
4. Development of Fragmented Thinking. Attention is constantly shifting from one piece of information to another, making it impossible to focus on and complete large-scale projects.
5. Lack of Critical Thinking. This develops from a blind faith in the information served up by search engines.
6. Symptoms of Age-Related Brain Diseases (thinning of the cerebral cortex, Alzheimer's, dementia) are appearing at an earlier age.
7. A Chaotic Worldview. The abundance of information creates the feeling of having vast knowledge in many different areas, but these fragmented facts don't allow for a holistic understanding of the world. You might feel like you know a lot, but in reality, your dependence on external sources indicates how little you truly know.
8. Decreased Success in Learning. The most durable knowledge is gained through sensory experience. A collection of theoretical facts that are never applied in practice only overloads the brain, leading to "mental fatigue" and reduced creativity.
9. Addiction. Knowing a device is always available and nearby creates a habit of constantly checking it. A feeling of "attachment" develops, causing a low-level background anxiety. Furthermore, information is a source of pleasure, comparable to food, pleasant physical sensations, or the satisfaction of achieving a goal. Receiving new information triggers the release of dopamine (a neurotransmitter in the brain's "reward system"). Getting information from gadgets is a way to get this pleasure with almost no effort. This is how we fall into not just a psychological, but also a physical, dependence on our digital devices.
10. Anxiety, Depression, and even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Panic Attacks. Anxiety is fueled by the perceived need to "be connected," "stay in the know," and "not miss anything important." The rapid-fire change of images and the sheer volume of information we have to process only heighten this anxiety. Additional stress is triggered by the large amount of negative information from media sources, which creates an image of a hostile world.
11. Disruption of Personal Goals. Immersed in an endless stream of information, it becomes impossible to identify your own personal aspirations. Your desires become dictated by what the internet suggests. When you aren't aware of your own goals, you're guided by the simple criterion of "interesting vs. uninteresting." But online, everything is interesting! This is how you fall into the trap of endless consumption. You can't make a decisive choice: wh ere to go, who to become, what to do. All the while, time is passing, and you're left with a false sense of infinite possibilities.
12. The Anesthetizing Effect of Technology. This refers to its ability to isolate you in an illusory private space. A virtual life becomes an anesthetic against reality. All sensations are dulled, including physical ones, leading to a decreased sensitivity to your body, sometimes to the point of losing all awareness of your physical state. A person in this state, even in a public place, behaves as if they were completely alone.

In essence, the flip side of technological progress is the degradation of memory and many other human cognitive abilities.

The Mechanisms Behind Digital Amnesia

To understand how digital amnesia forms and what processes it affects, let's turn to neurobiology.

How Memory Works and Its Role in Thinking

Memory encompasses several distinct processes occurring in the central nervous system, such as encoding, storage, retrieval, and recognition. We are born with memory, and throughout life, we can either improve it or lose it. Thanks to memory, we connect the past with the present and can anticipate the future. Memory is divided into short-term and long-term. Long-term memory plays a key role in personal development, preserving and enriching our accumulated experiences, emotional responses, and behavioral patterns that make each of us unique. In other words, long-term memory is part of our identity. Our memories are the foundation of our personality. But internet surfing relies almost entirely on short-term memory, pushing long-term memory aside. This is why we run into problems in situations that require planning, drawing on past experiences, or predicting behavior.

The Illusion of Multitasking

Contrary to the popular belief that humans can multitask, the brain is actually incapable of performing several actions simultaneously. What feels like "multitasking" is really just constant switching fr om one activity to another. This reduces the brain's productivity. The neural network responsible for sequential thinking processes information step-by-step, handling one task at a time. This requires focused, sustained attention.

When we rapidly switch between different information sources, this neural network shuts down—it simply can't keep up with the overwhelming flood of data. Ultimately, passively consuming information without reflecting on it leads to the atrophy of our long-term memory and our ability for sequential thought.

The Main Causes of Digital Amnesia

1. Digitalization — the ubiquitous spread of the internet and gadgets. With constant access to virtually any information, we are freed from the need to learn and memorize things by heart. At any moment, we can refer to the necessary material, which exists externally.
2. Our natural inclination toward pleasure-seeking and addiction.
3. The need to make frequent decisions quickly. Scientists estimate that we make over 35,000 decisions a day⁴. This is a very energy-intensive process. Therefore, we are almost forced to "offload" some of this responsibility onto external sources of information. This reduces the load on our thinking systems.
4. Stress caused by modern standards and the pace of life. In a state of stress, it's harder for us to create new memories and convert them into long-term ones.
5. Perceiving the Internet as a partner. People treat the Internet like a partner with whom they can share their memory. As a result, they communicate less with real partners and memorize less important information themselves.

Statistics and Research on Digital Amnesia

1. In the 1970s, sociologist Alvin Toffler first introduced the term "information overload" in his book "Future Shock."
2. In the late 1990s, the concept of "information fatigue syndrome" was formulated. This describes a state wh ere a person is unable to adequately classify incoming information, separating the useful fr om the useless and the reliable from the unreliable. This leads to disorientation (Lewis, D. Information Overload: Practical Strategies for Surviving in Today's Workplace, 1999).
3. The term "digital amnesia" was first coined in 2007: researchers in Dublin concluded that the development of technology leads to the degradation of human memory. In their report "Technology and Cognitive Function," this phenomenon was called "technological memory atrophy."
4. Betsy Sparrow's "Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips" (2011) was the first scientific paper on the impact of search engines on human memory. It introduced the concept of the "Google effect." The study noted that over the last 10 years, the average attention span has decreased from 12 seconds to 8.
5. In 2013, various authors introduced terms like "information obesity," "information poisoning," and "information anxiety." All these concepts describe a similar situation wh ere a person receives an excessive amount of information, leading to confusion and an inability to make decisions.
6. In 2015, IT specialists took an interest in the Google effect. Commissioned by Kaspersky Lab, a research company surveyed people in Europe, the USA, and India. The study showed that people trust information from the web more than their own memory (Digital Amnesia Report, 2015, Kaspersky).
7. According to Nicholas Carr's scientific article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?," people's memory and ability to concentrate have deteriorated.
8. A 2019 study proved the adverse effect of stress on memory.
9. A 2022 study established a link between digital amnesia, sleep disorders, and somatic symptoms in young people.
10. The ongoing ABCD study is tracking more than 10,000 American children. It observes that "young children who use more technology have a thinner cerebral cortex. This is something that is supposed to happen in older age."
11. Several prominent Russian scientists, alarmed by the influence of digital technologies on memory and cognitive abilities, are researching this phenomenon:
    • Alekseeva, A. Y., Arshinov, V. I. "Information Society and the NBICS Revolution," 2016.
    • Vzorin, G. D. "A Cultural-Historical View of 'Digital Amnesia': On the Path to a New Volition," 2021.
    • Soldatova, G. U. "The Digital Generation of Russia: Competence and Safety," 2017.
    • Stepanov, S. Y. "The Problem of Digitalization and Strategies for the Development of Lifelong Education," 2020.
    • Stepanov, A. I. "The Influence of Technology on Human Cognitive Abilities," 2017.

Examples of Digital Amnesia in Everyday Life

• An inability to retain information. Information you just received is immediately forgotten. For example, you look at the clock several times a minute, forgetting the time, or you constantly check your GPS while following a familiar route. Dates, names, and recent events completely slip your mind. You don't know the phone numbers of your loved ones. You can't remember the content of articles you read during the day.
• Difficulty with simple mental math.
• Trouble concentrating and general absent-mindedness. For instance, being unable to watch a two-hour movie without getting distracted.

Indirect Signs of Digital Amnesia

These indirect signs, when combined with other manifestations, may be symptoms of digital amnesia:

• Feeling discomfort when your smartphone and Wi-Fi aren't readily available. Finding it hard to be in silence.
• Making many mistakes when sending electronic messages. Frequently using voice messages instead of typing.
• Spending more time interacting with your gadget than with real people or on other activities throughout the day. Scrolling through your newsfeed while talking with friends.
• Deterioration of social skills: feeling isolated, preferring to maintain contact in the virtual world, while face-to-face communication causes anxiety.
• Difficulty expressing your thoughts: your speech is halting, disjointed, or clumsy.
• Nervousness or a tendency toward hysterical reactions.
• Baseless aggression, increased irritability, lack of energy, and emotional instability.

How Meditation Works and Its Impact on the Brain

During meditation practice, mental processes such as focused attention, mindfulness, and emotional regulation are activated. These processes have a comprehensive positive effect on brain function, optimizing its performance for the effective perception and retention of information. At the core of many of these techniques lies the development of mindfulness, a state of active, open attention on the present.

One of the key aspects influencing memory enhancement through meditation is the activation and stimulation of the hippocampus. This is the brain structure responsible for forming new memories and controlling memory processes. Regular meditation practice stimulates hippocampal activity by regulating neurochemical processes, which improves its function and increases synaptic plasticity. This, in turn, leads to a stronger and more efficient memory.

The hippocampus also plays a crucial role in regulating our emotional state, which affects the direction and stability of our attention in various situations. By delving into the depths of your inner world, you find a way to release the stress that weakens memory. In meditation, the mind recovers its strength and is renewed.

Research in psychology and neurobiology has revealed an important link between the hippocampus and our thought processes. The hippocampus directly influences our understanding of the world around us and our ability to make decisions. Thanks to its plasticity and adaptability, the hippocampus works closely with other brain regions to ensure the integrated functioning of our cognitive faculties.

The practice of observing the flow of your thoughts directly contributes to expanding the mind's capabilities. It strengthens neural connections in the areas responsible for analytical thinking, memory retention, adaptability, and problem-solving.

Thus, a balanced emotional state and a relaxed mind allow you to make decisions that are based on a better understanding of circumstances and are aligned with your own values.

Proven Benefits of Meditation for Improving Brain Function

• Reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease⁸.
• Reduces stress and symptoms of depression⁵.
• Increases mindfulness⁶ and concentration⁷.
• Helps with addictions⁹.
• Improves memory¹⁰.
• Reduces ADHD symptoms¹¹.
• Slows age-related changes in the brain¹².
• Improves neural connections¹³.
• Enhances emotional intelligence¹⁴.
• Improves working memory capacity¹⁵.
• Leads to an increase in gray matter volume in the hippocampus and frontal cortex¹⁶.
• Causes changes in brain function¹⁷.
• Helps reduce mind-wandering, which is linked to increased happiness¹⁸.
• Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness, indicating its positive effect on neuroplasticity¹⁹.

These are just some of the many positive effects confirmed by researchers; in total, there are dozens of scientific studies proving the benefits of meditation for both mental and physical health.

Types of Meditation to Overcome Digital Amnesia

1. Single-Pointed Concentration. Focusing on a single object (sensations, thoughts, breath). This develops the ability to hold your attention on one thing and teaches long-term concentration.
2. Visualization. Picturing a specific object in your mind. This also helps improve concentration and relaxation.
3. Using Mantras. Repeating a mantra helps you detach from thoughts and improve focus.
4. Analytical Meditation. This practice relies more on logic. Contemplation in analytical meditation helps you understand the workings of your mind and cultivate a desired way of thinking.
5. Metta Meditation. A practice for developing loving-kindness. This is also a form of concentration that helps build stable attention and focus on positive qualities.
6. Yoga Nidra. This practice helps you shift your attention from external factors to internal ones through a state of complete relaxation.
7. Trataka. A concentration practice that involves continuously gazing at an external object (like a candle flame). It helps develop focus and is known to improve eyesight and stimulate the third eye.
8. Walking Meditation. Observing sensations or your breath during a walk.

Choosing the Right Meditation Technique for Beginners

All of the meditation practices listed above improve cognitive abilities. However, the right technique for you depends on your personal goals, personality, available time, and stress level.

1. Define the goal of your practice: improving memory, reducing stress, increasing concentration, developing mindfulness, etc. If calming the mind is your priority, concentrating on the breath might be suitable. Simple breathing exercises, such as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing), are particularly effective for balancing the nervous system and preparing the mind for deeper focus. If stress relief is the primary goal, you could try Yoga Nidra. If you want to incorporate practice into your daily routine, you can start with mindful walking.
2. Consider your stress level. If it's high, you might benefit from calming techniques like Yoga Nidra or Trataka.
3. Take your temperament into account. If you're an active person, walking meditation might be a good fit. Calmer individuals might prefer static techniques, like observing the breath while seated. It's recommended to try different techniques to see which one resonates with you most.
4. Consider your schedule. The practice should fit easily into your daily life. If you have little free time, you can start with short practices of observing your breath or bodily sensations throughout the day. You could practice walking meditation or chant the mantra "Om" before bed.
5. Factor in your physical condition. If you have health issues with mobility limitations, you can try meditation techniques that don't require sitting cross-legged for long periods (for example, sitting on a chair or lying down).
6. Choose time-tested practices. Authentic practices are generally the safest and can give you confidence that you are on the right path.

Recommendations for Your Meditation Practice

1. Time of Practice. It's recommended to choose a consistent time for daily meditation.
2. Duration. You can start with short sessions (15–20 minutes). It's better to practice for a short time consistently than for a long time infrequently.
3. Gradually Increase the Time. To make meditation a regular habit, gradually increase the length of your sessions as you get more comfortable.
4. Track Your Progress and Changes. In the beginning, you might keep a journal to note any changes in your state of mind. This can serve as motivation to continue.
5. Don't Give Up. If a technique isn't satisfying or seems too difficult, it's important not to abandon it. It takes time to train the mind to be disciplined.

Combining Meditation with Other Helpful Habits

1. Develop Your Cognitive Functions. Train your concentration not just while sitting on the cushion. You can do this by reading challenging literature, solving math problems, or playing chess.
2. Train Your Memory. Try not to immediately look up information on the internet. Do calculations in your head instead of on a calculator. Don't use your GPS for familiar routes. Try to memorize your shopping list instead of writing it down in your notes app.
3. Digital Detox. While working, take at least a five-minute break every hour. When doing chores, don't have a podcast or video playing in the background—your brain needs a break.
4. Structure New Information. Organizing information helps you remember it better, so you can use diagrams, notes, or drawings. Mnemonics are also great for memorizing information. You can also keep a journal.
5. Write information down by hand instead of using apps or sending messages on your phone.
6. Don't trust digital devices as your sole source of memory. Periodically turn to other sources of information—people, books, reference materials.
7. Try New Activities. Learning any new skill will train your mind.
8. Limit Gadget Use:
   • Designate gadget-free zones: the kitchen, bathroom, balcony.
   • Set a time after which you don't use devices.
   • Use apps that help you track how your screen time is spent.
9. Replace Your Smartphone. If possible, replace your smartphone with a basic feature phone and get necessary information from a desktop or laptop computer.
10. Maintain Social Connections. Meet up with friends and family, attend educational lectures, and engage in altruistic activities.
11. Live a Healthy Lifestyle. Incorporate physical activity, walks, and reading into your life. Make time for healthy, quality sleep and proper nutrition.
12. Use Digital Technologies Wisely. Block access to certain websites. Delete unnecessary apps, unsubscribe from uninteresting newsletters, and leave useless group chats. Set limits for your most frequently used services. Turn off unnecessary notifications.
13. Conscious Information Consumption. In some situations, it's more effective to use technology, while in others, it's better to rely on your own memory. Digital devices are tools; their benefit or harm depends on the user. To combat cognitive biases, it's important to develop self-control and critical thinking so you can choose, analyze, and verify information effectively.

Plato, who lived 2,500 years ago, disapproved of the spread of writing. He feared that people, by relying on the written word, might "cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful," "they will receive a quantity of information without proper instruction," "they will be thought to be very knowledgeable when they are for the most part quite ignorant," and "they will be filled with the conceit of wisdom instead of real wisdom."

Today, it seems this reality has come to pass. Digital amnesia and the Google effect are tangible phenomena that impair our ability to remember, regulate emotions, and rest. They degrade our capacity for learning, reduce productivity, and affect our ability to develop emotional intelligence and social adaptability.

Furthermore, information overload robs us of the initiative and energy needed to shift our attention from background noise to what truly matters. We find ourselves involuntarily caught in waves of information that carry us in directions we never intended to go.

Media are not just passive channels of information; they shape the very process of our thinking. The style of reading promoted by the internet is based on immediacy and efficiency. This weakens our capacity for deep, contemplative reading and our ability to interpret text. Long-term memory and the ability to build meaningful connections atrophy.

Another point to remember: the internet relieves users of the responsibility of preserving information for others (a fundamental requirement in human societies). This means humanity faces a real threat of losing knowledge, cultural foundations, and traditions.

Italian scholar Umberto Eco, in his article "Dear Grandson, Learn This by Heart," warns that the current generation, under the influence of digital amnesia, could fall victim to information warfare. The manipulation of historical data will meet little resistance from the majority of internet users.

However, the Salk Institute provides encouraging data suggesting that the storage capacity of the human brain is equivalent to that of the entire internet! So, we don't have to rely on an external information space. We can develop our own cognitive abilities through meditation.

Scientists, educators, and parents are already seriously discussing the application of meditative practices for children.

Regular meditation helps preserve and expand the capabilities of the human brain by positively changing its activity and our psychological state. The longer a person practices meditation, the more stable these positive changes become.

It was once believed that neural connections lost their ability to change with age. Modern research has debunked this belief. The discovery of brain neuroplasticity and the influence of meditation on its changes offer hope for restoring neural pathways, lost skills, and forgotten memories.

Therefore, it's never too late to meditate. Don't miss the opportunity—practice for the benefit of all.

Om.