Digital Dementia
Outsourcing our thinking
Did you ever see that New Yorker cartoon? The one with people buried in their phones, missing a massive UFO right above them? One alien says to the other, "Don't worry, they never look up."
It's not news to anyone, that our smart phones are taking over our world, one human brain at a time. They’ve wormed their way into our lives, replacing calendars, alarm clocks, and sometimes, our social lives. Do we remember our best friend’s birthday? Our phone does. We’re turning into “smombies” (smart phone zombies, for the uninitiated), strolling through life with our brains plugged into our phones.
Are we heading down the path where our minds take a permanent vacation, leaving AI to do all the thinking while we become mere spectators? It’s possible, unless we find a balance. When I first heard about ‘digital dementia’, it instantly made sense. That overwhelming panic we feel when we leave for work without our phone. What if we need to call someone? Our contacts are organised by initials, not numbers. I don’t think I could call my mothers mobile if I had to. That’s a sad admission.
Technology is, in essence, is a tool. Just as a hammer can help build a house or destroy one, technology can either augment our lives or diminish our mental abilities, depending on how we use it. Awareness about and our tendency to outsource our thinking to gadgets is the first step towards reclaiming our cognitive prowess.
In this new digital world, it’s crucial to remember that while AI can assist us, it shouldn’t replace the complex, creative, and critical thinking abilities that make us human. Let’s not allow our devices to remember for us; let’s engage, learn, and remember. Let’s ensure that digital dementia does not rob us of our ability to think.
It really is a potential looming crisis.
Are we doomed to become a brainless bunch, with AI picking up the slack? Only if we roll over and let our gadgets do all the thinking for us. Remember, the Terminator only took over because people stopped paying attention.
We’re the captains of our cerebral ship. Let’s not hand over the wheel to our devices. By all means, let’s embrace the technological marvels of our time. But let’s also remember to switch off our screens and switch on our brains, because digital dementia sounds way less fun than winning at pub trivia night.
So, keep thinking, keep remembering, and above all, remember to think. Because no one wants to be the person who forgot their own birthday because their phone ran out of battery.
New Yorker Magazine