Remember that selfie you took with the family during your Memorial Day picnic on Monday? Actually, you might not. New research says you may be losing the ability to remember things, thanks to that little brain you keep in your pocket: your smartphone.
Experts are worried that people are losing the ability to live in the moment, and that’s because of cell phone cameras. Some studies suggest that taking too many photos prevents us from forming detailed memories. There’s been some amount of study on adults, but now researchers want to know how it might impact memory and attention in teens.
The concept isn’t new. Researchers and social scientists have been thinking about this since the 50s, when still and film cameras became affordable to the masses. But now, those cameras have been absorbed into the one thing you carry with you everywhere: your smartphone. But there are also apps that keep you from having to use your brain.
You probably don’t have to remember telephone numbers anymore, birthdays just pop up in your Facebook feed, and all your appointments show up thanks to your calendar app.
And don’t get us started on the dumbest thing of all: texting and driving. It’s illegal, and it’s dumb, but your smartphone makes it possible.
But smartphones certainly make information easier to get. They can put a world of knowledge literally at your fingertips. So our Man on the Edge, Robert Wilder, hit the streets to ask if you think smartphones are making people dumb…
