The Changing Dynamics and Consequences of Memory Retrieval in the Age of the Internet

Abstract The Internet is increasingly affecting the nature and dynamics of human memory. In the current chapter, recent research is reviewed, focusing on how the Internet is changing the way information is learned and remembered and the consequences of such changes on the general functioning of memory. In some ways, the Internet has the potential to expand the power of memory, providing access to more information than otherwise possible. In other ways, it has the potential to supplant or disrupt internal processes, preventing the types of flexible and constructive processes that are critical for the adaptive use and updating of memory. These and other potential consequences are discussed, especially as they relate to memory retrieval, focusing on both what is known now and some of the questions and challenges that remain to be investigated.