Google effect
Encyclopedia
The Google effect is the tendency to forget information that can be easily found using Internet search engine
s such as Google
, instead of remembering it.
The phenomenon was described and named by Betsy Sparrow (Columbia
), Jenny Liu (Wisconsin) and Daniel M. Wegner (Harvard
) in July 2011.
Having easy access to the Internet, the study showed, makes people less likely to remember certain details they believe will be accessible online. People can still remember, because they will remember what they cannot find online. They also remember how to find what they need on the Internet. Sparrow said this made the Internet a type of transactive memory
. One result of this phenomenon is dependence on the Internet; if an online connection is lost, the researchers said, it is similar to losing a friend.
The study included four experiments conducted with students at Columbia and Harvard. In part one, subjects had to answer trivia questions, followed by naming the colors of words, some of which related to searching on the Internet. In part two, the subjects read statements related to the trivia questions and had to remember what they read. They had an easier time with those statements they believed they could find online. In phase three, the subjects had to remember the details of the statements based on whether they believed the information could be found somewhere, whether it could be found in a specific place, or whether it could not be found. They remembered the information they believed to be deleted most easily. In the final phase, the subjects believed the statements would be stored in folders. They had an easier time remembering the folder names than the statements. One conclusion: people can remember information if they do not know where to find it, and they can remember how to find what they need if they cannot remember the information.
Sparrow said, "We're not thoughtless empty-headed people who don't have memories anymore. But we are becoming particularly adept at remembering where to go find things. And that's kind of amazing."
The theory has one major drawback, pointed out by several sources - there is no reason why the effect would not have also been commonly found before the days of internet-available information, given that books of information and libraries were readily available. The response is of course that the internet makes information almost instantaneously available, in a wide variety of locations (even more so with the advent of smartphones), in a way that has never been possible with books, which are not always ready to hand.
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
s such as Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, instead of remembering it.
The phenomenon was described and named by Betsy Sparrow (Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
), Jenny Liu (Wisconsin) and Daniel M. Wegner (Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
) in July 2011.
Having easy access to the Internet, the study showed, makes people less likely to remember certain details they believe will be accessible online. People can still remember, because they will remember what they cannot find online. They also remember how to find what they need on the Internet. Sparrow said this made the Internet a type of transactive memory
Transactive memory
Transactive memory is a psychological hypothesis first proposed by Daniel Wegner in 1985 as a response to earlier theories of "group mind" such as groupthink. A transactive memory system is a system through which groups collectively encode, store, and retrieve knowledge...
. One result of this phenomenon is dependence on the Internet; if an online connection is lost, the researchers said, it is similar to losing a friend.
The study included four experiments conducted with students at Columbia and Harvard. In part one, subjects had to answer trivia questions, followed by naming the colors of words, some of which related to searching on the Internet. In part two, the subjects read statements related to the trivia questions and had to remember what they read. They had an easier time with those statements they believed they could find online. In phase three, the subjects had to remember the details of the statements based on whether they believed the information could be found somewhere, whether it could be found in a specific place, or whether it could not be found. They remembered the information they believed to be deleted most easily. In the final phase, the subjects believed the statements would be stored in folders. They had an easier time remembering the folder names than the statements. One conclusion: people can remember information if they do not know where to find it, and they can remember how to find what they need if they cannot remember the information.
Sparrow said, "We're not thoughtless empty-headed people who don't have memories anymore. But we are becoming particularly adept at remembering where to go find things. And that's kind of amazing."
The theory has one major drawback, pointed out by several sources - there is no reason why the effect would not have also been commonly found before the days of internet-available information, given that books of information and libraries were readily available. The response is of course that the internet makes information almost instantaneously available, in a wide variety of locations (even more so with the advent of smartphones), in a way that has never been possible with books, which are not always ready to hand.