I'm Aza Raskin @aza. I make shiny things. I simplify.

I'm VP at Jawbone, focusing on health.

 

Your Memories Will Be Rewritten

Your past actions are the best predictor of your future decisions. Your past—or the memory of your past—has always been immutable. What if it wasn’t? What if marketers could meddle with your memories directly, instead of trying to insert their products into your daily flow? Who would we be when our past has been hacked? When the trust you place in your friends is exploited? What implications would it have for us and society?

What if this wasn’t hypothetical?

From research in cognitive and behavioral psychology, we know how to perform inception. It’s easy. We need to understand the predictable failings of human memory and internalize its ramifications, otherwise our personal past, and hence our future, will be rewritten by the marketer. It’s your life experience, brought to you by Coca-Cola.

This was my keynote for the John Seely Brown Symposium at University of Michigan. The three previous keynote speakers were Danah Boyd, Brewster Kahle, and Lawrence Lessig. I was a bit nervous.

RT @aza Your Memories Will Be Rewritten | Follow @aza on Twitter | All blog posts

No related posts.

View all 47 comments



deb

Crazy fun basis for a near future scifi novel. :)


    i ordered it too todayit will come next weeki cant wait!i have another question for you and maybe i could be wrongbut are you from greece???


By the grammar, you should separate the mdash with spaces from each side.

Doing this—is not right.
Doing this — is right.



lmarcetic

Flash? Again? :-(



    sethaurus

    @Imarcetic: Actually, the video is embedded using an `iframe`. It may be rendering with flash on your device, but it’s a `video` tag on mine! :)



      lmarcetic

      Is your “device” an iPad, and if not, do you have a Vimeo account where you’ve chosen HTML5 (I think there is such an option there) and you’re currently logged in.
      Just for the record, “my device” is a (desktop) PC running exclusively free software, and I’ve tested this in 3 different browsers.
      Why do I have to use Firebug and search to see these videos?


Aza,

Excellent – really enjoyed your presentation and thought process that goes along with it. Only thing I would differ is with first of your 3 conditions.
I think 1st should be Reinforcement rather than social demand. Whats your take?

Bala Thiruppanambakkam


Aza, your keynote made headlines all over the world, including the New York Times… We twitted about this as well.


Man… Have you *read* the „1984”?



    Robert

    I have … and this scary slogan came to my mind:

    “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past”.

    *shudder*


You’re absolutely right about the web add thing – I visited a website _once_ just to check something out – and they’ve been spamming me with ads for over 4 days now..


what is this all about? someting related to what?


Such a behavior style, usually in the suppression of emotions like love that leads to great happiness, ” said Understanding The Tin Man (Tin Man of the Understanding), William July, author of the book, adding: “He was accustomed to show more emotion, mental and sexual tendencies. ”
sumomax


Is difficult to apply this theory in reality. I think the memories are almost impossible to be rewritten.


Designing the new[scientific] religion


Who would we be when our past has been hacked? When the trust you place in your friends is exploited? What implications would it have for us and society?


moring everyone
have a nice day


a privacy workshop that brought together some of the world’s leading thinkers in online privacy. People from the FT


excellent!so amazing


I think past is past. If we are smart then we need to learn from our mistakes, but to bring up to front the past? I do not agree, i think it’s not good for anyone.


Why live in the past? I think we need to learn from our mistakes and think more to the present. We forgot to live in the present. I think that now we think more and more to the day of tomorrow.


Asics Schuhe ist die beste Laufschuhe,Beste Verarbeitungen, hochwertige Materialen und ein unverwechselbares Design machen Asics Schuhe zum Liebhaber vieler Schuhfans, denn sie sind auch für den Alltag perfekt einsetzbar!


’ve chosen HTML5 (I think there is such an option there) and you’re currently logged in.
Just for the record, “my device” is a (desktop) PC running exclusively free sof


ティファニー


When the trust you place in your friends is exploited? What implications would it have for us and society?


“my device” is a (desktop) PC running exclusively free software, and I’ve tested this in 3 different browsers.


“Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past”.


We hope to enabasdle businesses to highlight the qualities that make their locations stand out through professional, high-quality imagery.”


Is your “device” an iPad, and if not, do you have a Vimeo account where you’ve chosen HTML5 (I think there is such an option there) and you’re currently logged in.


Thanks for the article acquaintance.


thnks
goooooooooooood
min:)ااا


thnks
goooooooooooood
min:)ااا
kkk


I like such topics


good video. thanks.


I love you azaraskin thanks everyting.


I love you azaraskin thanks everyting. came on masaj if you want.


I love you azaraskin . you are super.


hi everybady


Ankarada masaj salonları olarak azaraskin e teşekkür ederiz.


eluxurybagseshop.com


buyjerseys4cheap.com


panax izmir firmaları


nzt 48 izmir satış noktaları


Excellent – really enjoyed your presentation and thought process that goes along with it. Only thing I would differ is with first of your 3 conditions.
I think 1st should be Reinforcement rather than social demand. Whats your take?


Is your “device” an iPad, and if not, do you have a Vimeo account where you’ve chosen HTML5 (I think there is such an option there) and you’re currently logged in.
Just for the record, “my device” is a (desktop) PC running exclusively free software, and I’ve tested this in 3 different browsers.
Why do I have to use Firebug and search to see these videos?


Aza, your keynote made headlines all over the world, including the New York Times… We twitted about this as well.


It’s appropriate time to make a few plans for the long run and it’s time to be happy. I’ve learn this publish and if I may I desire to suggest you some attention-grabbing issues or suggestions. Maybe you can write subsequent articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!


Leave a Comment