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Key points
- The Google effect can be interpreted as a helpful mechanism, which filters information before it enters the memory.
- However, it also comes with several risks including a dependency on technology and a dampening of life experience.
- Three simple strategies can help to overcome the risks associated with the Google effect.
In the queue to the cinema, I throw a quick glance at my watch. The person behind me notices my gaze and asks for the time. I look up at them in sudden confusion. In the two seconds that have passed since checking my watch, I have somehow managed to forget what time it is. I need to take another look at my wrist and only then can I provide the information. It is half past four, and yes, this does mean that both of us will miss the beginning of the film.
Does the above scenario sound familiar? Can you think of instances where you looked up a fact only to forget the information almost instantaneously? If so, you may have fallen victim to the “Google effect.”
The Google effect
The Google effect describes a curious phenomenon whereby people’s memory performance is poorer for information that is readily accessible than for information that requires more effort to obtain. The effect was named after Google search engines, which facilitate access to a wide range of information. Examples of such “easy” information include:
- Facts available on online encyclopaedias such as Wikipedia
- News headlines displayed on mobile applications
- Phone numbers saved to people’s electronic address lists
- Dates and birthdays stored in online calendars
- Vocabulary accessed via internet dictionaries.
Scientific evidence for the Google effect was provided by a series of research studies. One of the experiments required participants to read and type out 40 common-knowledge facts such as “an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain” (Did you know this?! My mind is blown!). While half of the participants were told that all facts would be saved on the computer, the other half assumed they would be lost. All participants subsequently completed a memory test that checked their recall of the trivia included in the experiment. It turned out that the second half of participants, i.e. those who had been told not to rely on their computer for storing information, outperformed the rest. Clearly, the first half of participants had not felt the need to remember the experiment’s trivia items because they expected to look them up as and when required.
Is the Google effect dampening your life experience?
In many ways, the Google effect is an adaptive mechanism that prevents our brain from getting cluttered with unnecessary information. After all, why would you want to store complicated facts, numbers or birthdays in your memory, if you can rely on a trusted phone or computer instead? Could the Google effect actually be helping us to prioritise information that is really worth remembering? Some scholars agree with this statement and highlight that we are evolving to be more efficient in our computerised environment. Others, however, point to different risks entailed in our over-reliance on Google and related technology.
- Risk 1: Dependency: A prerequisite for relying on technical memory aids is the continual availability of these aids. Consequently, people may feel pressured to be constantly connected to their gadgets. A sense of being “wired” may contribute to experiences of stress and anxiety. Furthermore, dependency on technology may have other unexpected side effects. Some people may be so reliant on their gadgets that unavoidable software crashes could destroy years’ worth of non-retrievable information and knowledge. Others may be storing sensitive data or secret passwords on their computers without recognising common risks pertaining to online security.
- Risk 2: Missing out on a full life experience: Another risk refers to the Google effect’s potential to diminish our quality of life. Only taking fleeting looks at online information can lead to people missing the more nuanced messages contained within a piece of information.
- Moreover, recent research showed that the Google effect may also apply to information in the form of pictures. The study involved participants completing a museum tour. Participants were subdivided into two groups: The first group were encouraged to take photos of all museum objects, while the second group walked through the museum without a means of recording their experience. Afterwards, both groups were tested for their memory about the museum items encountered on the tour. The group with digital memories in form of photos recalled significantly fewer details than the group without cameras. It thus appears that using photos to aid memory can affect people’s experiences of the world around them.
Overcoming the Google effect
Given the risks associated with an overreliance on readily accessible information, you may feel the need to tackle the Google effect and lessen your dependence. Three simple strategies can improve your memory in our modern age of technology.
- Make a conscious effort to search for information: Actively trying to switch off your “autopilot” and making a conscious effort when searching for new information can go a long way in improving memory. This strategy links in with the notion of mindfulness and related yoga exercises, which aim to increase mental presence in the here and now. It involves paying full attention to the information you are currently processing and decreasing the influence of distractions, for example due to multi-tasking.
- Take hand-written notes: Another strategy is to make a physical note of new information. No, I don’t mean printing out a Wikipedia page. Instead, try to take some (old-fashioned) hand-written notes! The process of synthesising the information and spelling out the words forces the mind to engage and slow down, thus contributing to deeper levels of processing and an improvement of subsequent memory.
- Leave your gadgets at home: A final, deceptively simple tip is to decrease your use of technical devices such as phones, cameras or computers. If your technological aides are unavailable, you have no choice but to retain more knowledge in your memory.
As a new mum, who is obsessed with taking pictures and digitally documenting every moment of my daughter’s life, I had better listen to my own advice! I should reduce the time spent looking through a camera lens and pay more attention to the lived experience of parenthood. How about yourself? Is it time to take stock and actively engage your memory?
