Page 50 - Coespu 2018-3

smartphone ownership and the popularity of photo- and video-sharing social apps like Instagram
and Snapchat. If taking pictures can lead to weaker encoding of representations in memory, then
this is an important facet of the cognitive impact of ubiquitous smartphone usage. Recent qualitative
research provides first-hand accounts that one’s interactions with smartphones and the ‘check-in’
capability of some social media apps as well as photos taken with one’s phone help establish a
topographical memory that can both supplant and augment one’s memory of their surroundings and
experiences (Özkul and Humphreys, 2015). Studies investigating the relation between digital
photography and memory have assumed that photographs are stored or shared in a semi-permanent
matter. Thus, while the act of taking photographs may change memory encoding during an event,
the photographs provide an opportunity to review and recollect the experience at a later time.
However, recent trends in social
media use have prioritized ephemeral
photo-sharing. For example, Snapchat
allows user to send and post pictures
and videos that can only be viewed a
limited number of times or for a finite
period. Users may therefore
experience the same effects on
memory in the moment, without the
added opportunity to refer back to the
photograph or video as an external
source of information/memory. Little
is yet known about the specific effects
of ephemeral photo-sharing tools on memory for events.
Another common concern regarding the “offloading” of our semantic memory into a modern
technological device regards the impact of GPS mapping systems on our ability to navigate the
world. Crafting an accurate cognitive representation of our spatial surroundings is crucial for us to
effectively and efficiently get from one place to another. It has been posited that constant reliance
on GPS navigation systems, which are now integrated into smartphone devices, interferes with our
natural tendency to develop cognitive spatial representations. Media headlines insist that these car
technologies are “creating stupid drivers” (Moskvitch, 2014) and there are many compelling
instances in which a driver blindly followed an inaccurate GPS direction into peril (Hansen, 2013).
As GPS navigation devices pre-exist smartphone technology, so too does the related scientific
literature. In a study published a decade ago, researchers sought to identify the consequences of
overreliance on GPS navigational devices (Burnett and Lee, 2005). Specifically, the authors wanted
to know whether use of GPS navigational devices impacted their participants’ tendency to create
cognitive maps when maneuvering through a novel environment. To do this, Burnett and Lee
recruited experienced drivers to navigate around a 3D digitally rendered virtual environment. The
virtual environment resembled a medium-sized neighborhood, and included many buildings and
other landmarks such as trees, signs, and people. The between-subjects design required half of the
participants to study a map of the environment for as long as they wished before hitting the road in
an attempt to reach their destination using the most direct route possible. Conversely, the other half
of participants were allowed to study the map for only 20 s, and then commenced their journey,
which was accompanied with turn-by-turn voice guidance to the destination. After the participants

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