Memory Under Siege

Our latest essay, “Memory Under Siege,” provides a comprehensive examination of how collective memory is threatened by modern digital technologies and cognitive vulnerabilities. We identify two primary mechanisms of memory erosion: “Machines That Forget,” which explains technical failures like catastrophic forgetting in AI models and data decay, and “Humans Who Rewrite,” which describes human psychological traps such as belief echoes and source amnesia that allow misinformation to persist. Furthermore, we explore how synthetic media, particularly deepfakes and algorithmic curation, leads to “Collective Memory in the Age of Editability,” resulting in the potential for historical narrative rewriting and an overall erosion of trust in digital evidence. Finally, we propose defensive strategies, termed “Building Cognitive Firewalls,” that include technical solutions like content provenance and immutable archives, alongside educational measures like psychological inoculation or “prebunking.”