Hybrid memory, cognitive technology and self

Abstract

Recent years have seen an explosion in the production and use of technologies that allow us to record, store and recall ever-increasing amounts of information about our lives. Some welcome these trends as offering new possibilities for self-understanding and expression. Others think that things have already gone too far and worry deeply about what the future might hold. Does mem-tech really promise (or threaten) a radical change to the cognitive profile of human beings? If so, how are we to assess the possibilities and attempt to understand whether they offer a hopeful or dangerous turn in the human condition? This paper attempts to develop a balanced understanding of current trends in mem-tech and also consider some of its more probable future trends. In so doing it identifies four factors about the new memory devices: Capaciousness; incorporability; autonomy; and entanglement that suggest not just technical, but important psychological implications.