here is my final thesis presentation

1. digital
memory
&the demise of
FORGETTING

2. HYPOTHESIS
This thesis presents the hypothesis that the
external memory created by social networking
sites and other forms of digital recording in
cyberspace may have negative consequences for
our personal and professional advancement.

3. HYPOTHESIS
The high level of detail with which sites
like facebook record events interferes with
our natural ability to forget, suggesting
that a need exists for digital forgetfulness.
In contrast to widely accepted notions of the
desirability for legacy through photographic
and text-based documentation, being able
to quickly surpass every detail of a difficult
experience, can be ultimately advisable for
personal and social betterment.

4. HYPOTHESIS
Understanding the role of human memory in
personal development might provide an
explanation for how digital archiving hinders
the natural process of letting go. This in
turn could lead to a solution that would
restore the ability to forget every detail of
past experiences.

5. What is human
mEmORY?
mem•o•ry (mm-r)n. pl. mem•o•ries
the faculty by which the mind stores
and remembers information

6. Long Term
Memory
Short Term
Sensory Memory
Memory

7. Procedural
Memory
Long Term
Memory
Declarative
Memory
Short Term
Sensory Memory
Memory

8. Procedural
Memory
Long Term
Memory
Semantic
Memory
Declarative
Memory
Episodic
Memory
Short Term
Sensory Memory
Memory

9. What is
EXTERNAL
mEmORY?

10. CAVE PAINTINGS

11. WRITING

12. PHOTOGRAPHY

13. AUDIO RECORDING

14. FILm

15. from
ANALOG to
DIGITAL
a shift in external memory
“
By eliminating noise, the incremental forgetting
inherent in analog technology, the notion of
originals and copies is rapidly becoming an
outdated concept.”-from Delete: The Virtue of
Forgetting in the Digital Age

16. FORGETTING
“
Today, with the help of widespread
technology, forgetting has become
the exception, and remembering the
default” -from Delete: The Virtue of
Forgetting in the Digital Age

17. Why we
FORGET

18. Why we
FORGET
as individuals we forget
so that we can survive

19. Jill Price, known as “AJ” in science
journals, remembers every detail of every day
dating back to 1974, when she was 14 years
old.

20. Why we
FORGET
as a society we forget so
that individuals can redeem
themselves

21. 1999 2011
Actor Robert Downey Jr. in a mugshot for
his drug related arrest (left) and with his
golden globe award 12 years later (right)

22. with the demise of
FORGETTING
we lose power and time

23. for example

24. Gordon Bell, Principal Researcher at
Microsoft, Author of Total Recall: How the
E-Memory Revolution Will Change Everything.

25. For some of us, avoiding
replaying painful memories
is not easy...

26. project
ideas
& potential
SOLUTIONS
Virtual Memory Kit

27. SYSTEm for
Safety
Hierarchy
Ability to cope