What You Think You Know About the Web Is Wrong: Augmenting Long-term Memory

What You Think You Know About the Web Is Wrong: Augmenting Long-term Memory

The internet has drastically changed the way we consume information. With the rise of social media and the ease of sharing content, it's easy to assume that the more something is shared, the more it is read. However, research has shown that this is not the case. In fact, there is no relationship between the number of social shares and the amount of attention an average reader will give that content.

A study conducted by Chartbeat revealed that most people who click on articles don't actually read them. Shockingly, 55% of visitors spent fewer than 15 seconds actively on a page. Even when filtering for article pages, one in every three visitors still spend less than 15 seconds reading the articles they land on. This highlights the need for engaging and captivating content that can hold the reader's attention.

Interestingly, articles that were clicked on and engaged with tended to be actual news. On the other hand, the most clicked on but least deeply engaged-with articles had topics that were more generic. This suggests that readers are more likely to invest their time in articles that provide valuable and informative content.

One myth that needs to be debunked is the idea that the more we share, the more we read. The study found that among articles tracked with social activity, there were only one tweet and eight Facebook likes for every 100 visitors. This goes to show that sharing does not necessarily equate to reading. It's important to focus on creating content that not only encourages sharing but also captivates the reader's attention and encourages them to spend more time reading.

Now, let's shift our focus to the concept of augmenting long-term memory. The idea of enhancing human intelligence through technology has been a topic of interest for many computer pioneers. From Douglas Engelbart's ideas about human intelligence augmentation to Ted Nelson's ideas about hypertext and Tim Berners-Lee's conception of the World Wide Web, there has been a continuous exploration of ways to improve our memory systems.

Anki, a personal memory system, has revolutionized the way we remember information. It guarantees that we will remember something with minimal effort, making memory a choice rather than a haphazard event. The key to making Anki a habit is finding a project or goal that motivates us to use it consistently. For example, memorizing a short book about the Unix command line as a joke turned into a serious project that helped build an Anki habit.

Anki also proves to be a valuable tool when reading research papers. It gives us the confidence that we will retain much of the understanding over the long term. However, Anki works best when used in service to a personal creative project. When we have a creative project in mind, we ask better Anki questions and feel a stronger emotional connection to the material. The existence of an output or a goal helps enhance memory retention.

When using Anki, it's important to extract a sufficient number of questions from the material. Extracting fewer than five questions tends to leave the information as isolated fragments in our memory. It's also crucial to prioritize important papers and not spend too much time on unimportant ones. Shallow reads of many papers can help identify the key ones without getting lost in the details of less significant ones.

While Anki is a powerful tool, it's important to remember that its true value comes from actively applying the knowledge and solving real problems. Simply reviewing Anki cards is not enough to internalize a process. It's essential to carry out the process in context and use the information to address real-world challenges.

In conclusion, the internet has challenged our assumptions about how content is consumed. The number of social shares does not necessarily reflect the amount of attention a piece of content receives. To capture and retain readers' attention, it's important to create engaging and informative content. Additionally, personal memory systems like Anki have the potential to revolutionize how we remember and retain information. By incorporating Anki into creative projects and actively applying the knowledge gained, we can enhance our long-term memory.

Actionable Advice:

1. Focus on creating valuable and informative content that captivates readers' attention.
2. Find a personal creative project that motivates you to use memory systems like Anki consistently.
3. Actively apply the knowledge gained through memory systems to real-world problems and challenges.