Why do we forget information that we just looked up?

The

Google Effect

, explained.

Bias

What is the Google Effect?

The Google effect, also known as digital amnesia, is the tendency to forget information that is readily available through search engines like Google. We do not commit this information to our memory because we know that this information is easy to access online.

An illustration showing a person holding a fact in a thought bubble and saying, "I'm too lazy to remember this... you do it!" The person is placing the fact into a laptop on a table. The text "The Google Effect" is written at the top.

Where this bias occurs

Suppose that you’re reading a book and encounter an unfamiliar word. You decide to Google the word to find out its definition. A few days later, you encounter the word again… but you can’t seem to remember what it means.

This situation describes the Google effect; when information is readily available online, we do not commit it to memory. Google has become such an integral part of our daily lives that it was added as a verb to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006.¹ It is so easy to “Google it,” that we may find ourselves repeatedly looking up the same information online instead of committing it to memory.

This bias exists not only for things we look up on search engines, but for most information that is easily accessible on our computers or phones. Do you know your parents’ or best friend’s number by heart? The answer is probably no—thanks to the Google effect.

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Sources

Schwartz, B. (2006, June 29). Google now a verb in the Oxford English dictionary. Search Engine Watch. https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2006/06/29/google-now-a-verb-in-the-oxford-english-dictionary/
Rowlands, I., Nicholas, D., Williams, P., Huntington, P., Fieldhouse, M., Gunter, B., Withey, R., Jamali, H. R., Dobrowolski, T., & Tenopir, C. (2008). The Google generation: The information behaviour of the researcher of the future. Aslib Proceedings, 60(4), 290-310. https://doi.org/10.1108/00012530810887953
Sparrow, B., Liu, J., & Wegner, D. (2007). Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips. Science, 333(6043), 776-778. https://doi.org/10.1037/e633982013-286
Makin, S. (2018, November 28). Searching for digital technology’s effects on well-being. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07503-w
Roberts, G. (2015, July 16). Google effect: Is technology making us stupid? The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/google-effect-is-technology-making-us-stupid-10391564.html
Henkel, L. A. (2014). Point-and-Shoot Memories: The Influence of Taking Photos on Memory for a Museum Tour. Psychological Science, 25(2), 396-402. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613504438
Digital Amnesia at Work: the risks and rewards of forgetting in business. (2016). The Kaspersky Lab. https://media.kasperskydaily.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2016/03/05232337/Digital-Amnesia-at-work-the-risks-and-rewards-of-forgetting-in-business-report.pdf
From Digital Amnesia to the Augmented Mind. (2016). The Kaspersky Lab. https://media.kaspersky.com/pdf/Kaspersky-Digital-Amnesia-Evolution-report-17-08-16.pdf

About the Authors

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Dan Pilat

Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.

A smiling man stands in an office, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt, with plants and glass-walled rooms in the background.

Dr. Sekoul Krastev

Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.

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Why do we forget information that we just looked up?

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