No need to memorize?

In chapter 6 of The Social Media Reader, Boyd discussed this idea of being always-on when it comes to the Internet. She does not necessarily mean that these individuals are always surfing the web or checking their email, but rather that these individuals have access to the Internet at almost any moment.  The chapter described a world of individuals plugged into a network with tons of information that no one could ever sort through. It is true; there is so much information out there. It almost makes me dizzy just thinking about it. In the chapter, Boyd raised the question of how does she sort through all of this information? Clearly there is no formula or step-by-step process that we all can follow. I guess we can only do like Boyd does. We can try our best. However, I felt that she brought up an important question at the end. She stated, “but aren’t we living in a world where knowing how to get information is more important than memorizing it? (pg. 75)” As discussed, we do have so much information at our finger tips, so shouldn’t there be more of a focus on learning how to access this information as opposed to rote memorization?

Back when I was working on my undergraduate degree, I had a professor who told us that his tests would be open book. He said something along the lines of, “if you don’t know the answer in the “real world,” you’ll just go look it up.” Therefore, he allowed us to look in the book while on the test. I appreciated this gesture since it took some of the pressure off due to the fact that I would not have to memorize everything for the tests, but it didn’t mean that I didn’t have to study. In fact, some may argue that these tests are harder because you never have time to look everything up, but I disagree. Sure you have to be familiar with the material and know where to find the answer, and I think that this is what Boyd is getting at.

Chapter 11 of A Networked Self discussed Twitter. Much of what is discussed in this chapter is pertinent to my abstract that I am posting today. Though I did not cite this chapter, much of the ideas go hand in hand with some of the ideas that I present.

Chapter 12 of A Networked Self analyzed the photos of college students on Facebook. I did not find their results to be that surprising. Much of their findings were what I would expect. In fact, my own experience with Facebook can relate to some of these findings. I think that there is a lot of substance to the idea that posting a photo helps to build and express the relationships with the individuals in the photo.

Papacharissi, Z. (Ed.). (2010). A Networked Self:!Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites. New York: Routledge.

Mandiberg, M. (Ed.) (2012). The Social Media Reader. New York: NYU Press.

13 thoughts on “No need to memorize?

  1. This absence of memorization is an interesting aspect of what Boyd discussed in her chapter. My first association is phone numbers. I used to have the important phone numbers in my social circles memorized. Now, all I know is 9-1-1. The question is whether the act of memorization stimulated the brain in such a way that helped with creative thinking and now, as that aspect collectively dies in the technologically savvy culture, what will we be missing, if anything?

  2. I think you both raise interesting points. It seems to me that at times, memorization is necessary, especially for children, who need to be able to develop this ability, and school is the perfect place to practice. However, I think that it is often more valuable to conduct exams the way your undergraduate professor did, John. When written properly, open-book exams do not mean that students can forego studying. Instead, they can be even more challenging and a better learning experience than traditional exams that require memorization. I think it very much depends on the class, material, and grade level of the students.

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