Memory In The Information Age
While we live in what is commonly called the information age, in reality we live in an age of data. There is a key difference between data and information. Information tends to be useful, while data may or may not be. The problem with our world of today is that we have excessive amounts of data, and much of it is not important.
When you look at it from this perspective, it is easy to see why more people have trouble remembering things than ever before. They have trouble remembering things because they are constantly being bombarded with data, and it is difficult for them to separate the relevant information from data which is irrelevant.
To all intents and purposes, it appears that we live in a world which promotes forgetting. However, failing to remember important things can get you in a lot of trouble. Most phone companies will now charge you late fees if you don’t pay your bill on the due date. If you don’t pay your taxes on time, this can get you in trouble as well. The reason why many people have a tendency to forget things is because they live in a society which doesn’t promote the enhancement of memory. It could be compared to weight loss. Virtually everyone knows how important it is to maintain a healthy weight. Yet so many people are overweight. Why is this? Because they don’t live in a society that encourages them to lose weight.
To give you a deeper understanding of this, studies have shown that the average American received just over 500 advertisements a day in 1970. Today, the average American receives well over 3000 advertisements per day. In fact, research has also shown that technology is moving so fast that people are required to master new technologies every few months if they want to be up to date. While we live in a world that is advancing technologically, there are a number of side effects which need to be addressed. How many people do you meet on a monthly basis? It is probably a lot more than the number of people someone living in Europe during the middle ages had to meet.
For thousands of years, humans have maintained bonds in relatively small groups. A man or woman would be born in a family, and that family would spend their lives together. The only other people they came in contact with would live in the same village. To make a long story short, we are living in a world of information overload. To succeed, you must be able to simply disregard most of the information you come into contact with. Your brain will only hold so much, and most of this information will be discarded. To improve your memory in our world of today, there are two things you must do.
First, you must learn how to tune out information which is not important. You should only place an emphasis on the things that matter to you. Doing this will make your life less stressful, and you will also be less likely to forget things. Second, you will need to learn how to properly organize the information that is useful. If your brain is hit with too much information at one time, you will tune out. The Attention Deficit Disorder is something which has been connected to information overload by some.
People are more confused than ever before. When you are confused, you are much more likely to forget things. While we live in a society that encourages you to forget, you will not be rewarded once you do. In fact, you will be subjected to a number or problems, most of which may be financial in nature. The best way to solve this problem is to simply reduce the number of things you are required to remember. Most people hurt themselves, because they allow their minds to be flooded with useless information. While some information can be good for your mind, as the saying goes, "too much of a good thing can be bad."
Learn how to control what goes in and out of your mind. Take the time to remember things which are relevant. Reduce the number of things which aren’t. By doing this, you will have the necessary foundation to begin the process of mastering your memory.
