The Scam Called "You Don't Have to Remember Anything"

"The search engines, old note-taking apps (you know, those with an elephant icon and the like) and AI have something in common: They claim that the effort of remembering things is outdated like using a candle in the age of electric light. The following is, by the way, from my Zettelkasten (2016): To find what you need online, you require a solid general education and, above all, prior knowledge in the area related to your search."

"Rowlands et al. wrote about the so called "digital natives" that they lack the critical and analytical thinking skills to evaluate the information they find on the internet. We need a fully developed mental map of the subject in order to derive value from the results of an internet search. In short: You need a trained brain to actually benefit from the internet."

Relying on search engines, old note-taking apps, and AI promotes the idea that remembering is obsolete. Finding useful online information requires solid general education and prior knowledge in the relevant area. A cultural shift toward immediately searching for answers reduces engagement with learning and weakens prior knowledge. Reduced prior knowledge impairs the ability to judge information quality and to convert information into actual knowledge. Digital natives often lack critical and analytical skills and use surface-level cues to judge relevance. The convenience of tools thus carries a hidden cost: diminished capacity for independent thinking.

Read at Zettelkasten Method