Facebook, Twitter, and online forms are sites we use everyday to the point it becomes part of our lives. But, at the same time we take them for granted. In the book, Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age, Viktor Mayer-Schönberger discusses about the importance of forgetting and that without the ability to forget, consequences can occur. This book also allows the audience to look at the way technology has changed how we remember and forget information and, how there are ways that can help to re-integrate forgetting into the digital world. However, the most important concept is about forgetting. In order to look into this concept further, there needs to be an understanding of why this is important and how it affects us in our daily lives. The concept of forgetting has changed in the digital age but according to the author, there are steps to ensure we will remember how to forget in the digital age. (Mayer-Schönberger ,15) The importance of deleting is necessary to prevent ourselves from going into a path of ignorance and regret.

In the book, Mayer-Schönberger makes the argument about why forgetting is important in the digital age. He discusses about how with digital media becoming prominent in remembering our information, we need to be careful with what we decide to have out on the Internet. In my opinion on the concept of forgetting, I agree with the author’s argument that forgetting is an important concept to understand in the digital age. While we are constantly putting information out on the Internet, we tend to forget that the Internet will save whatever information that is posted and, will not remove them from their digital storage. An example given in the book was how a student would not be able to become a teacher due to a Facebook picture of herself as a “drunken pirate.” (Mayer-Schönberger, 1) Even though this example shows how pictures are saved for people to see, it does not discuss about comments or posts one can make. For users of Twitter, many people assume that they are able to post whatever they think is appropriate. However, many do not realize that even if they are able to delete their tweets, users are capable of sending these tweets to employers or shame the person for writing inappropriate content. This example is used as a reason why forgetting is important. He also discusses about how not only is it necessary in the digital age, but in our physical selves. Without forgetting, we would have many memories of our past. However, we would be constantly thinking about the past if we did not forget. As a result, we would continue to think about the past instead of moving forward with the future. Forgetting is important for us in reality and the digital age.

The author gives points as to how we can resolve the problems remembering data has while at the same time, re-implementing forgetting. One of the solutions included expiration of information. By doing so, personal information on some sites will be removed after a certain amount of time. While I do agree that we need to re-implement forgetting, we need to address the need to implement common sense before giving out our information. Even if the solutions he mention work, it does not change the perception of the personal and the private sphere of the digital age. With digital media, it is easier to post messages or pictures of content that you would not be proud of sharing in reality, but would be comfortable sharing online. For example, I have seen photos on Facebook of people that are questionable content and may get them in trouble. It is apparent that people do believe that they can write and post whatever they feel is acceptable under Free Speech. However, they do not realize that even if they believe that their accounts are private, this information is spread throughout the Internet and can never be removed. So, while solutions may exist to allow forgetting in the digital age, it does not change how many act or think.

While the digital age has become more prominent, we need to understand that we live in a society that will not forget. While he Internet can store all our personal information, it can store information of us that we do not want others to see as well. At the same time, we need to use common sense. That way, we prevent ourselves from giving unwanted information to this digital storage. In the end, forgetting and using common sense is necessary or we will pay the consequences.

Bibliography

Mayer-Schönberger, Viktor. Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age.      Princeton: Princeton UP, 2009. Print.