In a recent article* about the impact of technology one technophobe declared she hardly used any of the functions on her mobile and doesn’t even put phone numbers in the electronic contact list. “I remember them all. All I want to know about is the green ‘on’ button”.
Wow, yes, I remember keeping loads of phone numbers in my head. I was good at it. I topped my year in Geography once because I memorised all the essential facts about Australia such as circumference, area, distances and so forth as if they were telephone numbers. Now I store telephone numbers in my electronic contact lists and in the case of a small number of close friends – on a post-it on my desk.
Phone numbers are always at hand so why bother to memorise them? I rarely even ask for a phone number because in most cases it comes up on my phone display and I can store the number from there.
The first Rolodexes appeared in the early 1930s
And I bet many of you had one of these, way back when. Perhaps you still do...
When you use a Rolodex or Teledex you look at the number while you dial. Do that enough and you’ll commit that number to memory, without even realising it. Use your phone contact list or your speed dial and you miss that step. You may never memorise numbers outside those you absolutely have to.
Some research shows that our ability to remember things is decreasing as technology increasingly takes on that role. With the vast increase in information available technology provides the means for us to sort and categorise the data and enables us to recall (electronically) than ever before. But then we lose our mobile, or our hard disk crashes and we feel empty, like our very life has been taken away. Perhaps we wouldn’t feel that way if we were sure that the computer that stays with us 24/7, our brain, was able to recall everything that was important to us.
In my younger years I could remember the phone numbers of all my close friends, my extended family, the school, the doctor, the dentist, the beautician, the pizza joint in Nedlands and later the work numbers of many of my colleagues. Today I couldn’t tell you my own work number.
I’m off to memorise a few phone numbers. How many can you remember?
*Australian Vogue (I know, of all the places!), November 2009 p. 146
10 comments:
I was never that great at remembering phone numbers. I can remember my Mum's mobile on a good day, but not my partner's. I can still remember the number of one of my old friend's parents, but I have no idea what my friend's number is now that she's left home (ah, 8 or 9 years ago).
We don't remember phone numbers anymore, but we do remember a lot more passwords and PINs, so perhaps all is not lost.
Nowadays, I struggle to even remember my own phone number. I have to make a huge effort to commit it to memory...and as soon as we move houses...ooops...it's gone.
The OLD numbers on the other hand...my parents', my Aunt's, friends I've known for years and have never moved house...those ones,I can dial without even thinking about.
My 12yo has one number she dials at least once a week - and every week she has has to check with me what that number is.
I think you're right - we're losing our ability to memorise and recall numbers. I hope that extra memory space is being used for something worthwhile?
I am also finding the same with car registration numbers. I can remember the early ones – even from my childhood – but not the last 2. I have to keep the current one written down and with me at all times in case I have to quote it and so avoid the embarrassment I suffered after we went sledging on our car roof and I couldn't tell the police the number!
i remember my original phone number which only had 6 digits... I remeber quite a few still these days. I think it all depends on how you break it up into small sets. Mobile numbers are just a touch too long to comfortably remember (4 digits then 3 and 3) while a landline is easily broken up into two sets of 4 digits.
Goodness - you're right. We've filled our heads with how to download, upload, work the set-top box, etc and therefore there's now no space for phone numbers!
317624. Still remember my home number from age 9-17. My kids don't know our phone number though.
I wouldn't mind a rolodex thingie now I come to look at it. I wonder if you can still buy them.
So true about the computer taking so much away from us. I cannot spell anymore because I have just allowed spellcheck to take care of it. Everything we do is on the internet almost. I rarely even hand write anything. Some numbers are easier to remember than others for me.
I remember my own number and a few local friends only because the numbers are regional and simple.
Never remember any mobile numbers including my own!
Have a sister-in-law who in an emergency rang 911, the American emergency number, instead of 000 the Australian one(too much tv viewing!!)
I used to love these rolodex thingies - great to play with whilst talking on the phone!
I only know my phone number and my husband's number. Everything else is in my contacts or phone book. We just had to change our password for our voice mail. I have no idea why the phone company needed everyone to change their passwords. The passwords are all we have to remember. I've already forgot my password to something I tried to assess one day. So, I just shut off the computer and forgot about it.
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