Disha Prashant says that our brains today are bound to the internet only because we can. Is it time to unwind these wires and let the brain take its rightful place?
Digital Amnesia is a phenomenon in which technological expertise is slowly and steadily eroding human brain power of storing information by excessively clinging to gadgets. A recent research by Kaspersky Lab revealed the rising syndrome of digital amnesia amongst people. This lab surveyed over 6000 people who were asked to answer some questions in a stipulated time frame.
To find answers in a jiffy the contestants turned towards internet and answered the questions. The contestants were asked the same set of questionnaire but were obligated to use internet. However, the contestants failed to answer the questions due to loss of memory, which verified that humans today restrict the brain from garnering information thereby getting digitally vulnerable.
This is why Samhita Patil a mother of two feels blessed to be born in an era before the technology took over. “Today it is a sad scenario where in kids are more competitive about inheriting byzantine gizmos to evince their intelligence. But these kids rarely dig into their brains to recollect something that has happened just a few minutes back. In our times we were regularly asked by our teachers to gobble up books and keep revising every bit of information and keep revising the same. However, today the teachers and parents as well make paramount use to technology to bring to their kids information from across the globe with a click of a button.”
Vocalizing her thoughts on amnesia she said, “The thought of losing memory just send shivers down my spine. The dependency on gadgets has definitely cut down on activities which help in keeping the brain active. This is a serious issue and needs to be pondered over at the earliest. It is important for people to detach themselves from the tech world and peep into reality for their own betterment.”
People today fizzle out on memorizing information with the hypothesis that it would be more accessible through the medium of technology. Psychologists are of the belief that for every neoteric hitch a human being faces, a novel kind of application is coined to counter that hitch. The rising number of patients attending sessions to escalate their memorizing power is appalling says Psychologist Madhura Joglekar.
“Many a times I have witnessed patients who come for sessions ensuring that they carry their gadgets first. We hold memory tests for such patients to check the level of their IQ. In addition to this, we ask them questions in a rapid fire format and jot down the time span in which they have managed to answer these questions. In one session we permit them to take help from mobiles while in the second session we disengage them from it. There is a humongous chasm in the number of answers attempted.”
Reviewing her concern over the rising cases of digital amnesia she said, “The excessive reliance on digital equipments is crippling human intelligence. These people remember every single thing from their childhood but fail to connect with latest information. Our memory fortifies our memory channels each time we recall an incident and vanishes distracting memories. Similarly people remember things which have been imbibed on their minds from the beginning but stammer the moment technology takes charge. It as a crucial need today to ponder over the rising cases of digital amnesia, for in the long run the newer generations might be a complete slave of technology.”
Digital amnesia is spreading like a wildfire amongst people resulting in brain inactivity. If we calculate the average, then every second person holds a gadget to help him find answers in places where he can actually put his brain to use. The urge to seek information without wasting time over rationalizing is the cardinal cause of rising digital amnesia.What we need today is ways and mediums to spawn new avenues into optimizing brain power.
A teacher at an integrated learning centre, on the condition of anonymity has shared methods through brain endowment can be developed. “A child’s brain is just like raw clay and it is up to us to mould it in a manner that it helps them in the long run. There are certain reading and writing guidelines which we follow when it comes to teaching kids and ensure that kids follow the same guidelines. Along with this we also provide them digital education but the prime focus is on holding brain development activities. We generate the urge of gathering information but also ensure to keep kids away from digiworld.”
“Similar such programmes are held for adults where we ask them to mug up information gathered over various activities and jot it down in diaries. It is a positive feeling to see adults taking interest in these activities. Till date we have received positive reviews for these short term courses,” she adds.
The time has come to search a permanent remedy for this woe. But that is only possible the day we train ourselves to keep our hands off technology. People forget that their brain created technology and not vice versa.
