It’s difficult to imagine living in a world without instant access to information at our fingertips.  The Internet has not only drastically impacted the efficiency of our everyday lives, but it’s also changing the way our brains work.

A recent study conducted at Columbia University explored the relationship between human memory and technology, challenging the myth that our access to the Internet is making us mentally lazier.

The study, referred to as “The Google Effect,” confirmed that the use of the Google search engine alters our brains and changes the way we organize and recall information.  Instead of relying on our rote memory (learning through pattern or repetition) to remember information, we rely heavily on external sources to find the information for us.

The Internet essentially serves as a form of transactive memory, or information that is stored collectively outside of our personal memory that we can call upon at any time.  Knowing that we can rely on Google to access information instantly, we often outsource our rote memory search to Google and eliminate the need for our brain to do the job.

Historically, humans have relied on other information reservoirs (e.g. other people) to help them out in recalling information.  Prior to the existence of the Internet and search engines, people relied heavily on “group memories,” or memories passed on from person to person within groups.  Today, Google acts as the primary group memory source.  We’ve become primed to defer to technology when tasked with recalling information or asked a difficult question.  Thus, we have lower rates of recalling information based on our own memory, but enhanced recall for where we can access information.

Simply put, if we know where we can find the information we seek, we are much less likely to put forth the effort store it in our own brain.

One of the key experiments within the Google Effect study asked participants to type 40 pieces of trivia info a computer.  Half of the subjects believed the information would be saved on the computer, and half were told that the items they typed would be erased.  Those that thought the information would be deleted were more likely to remember the trivia, as they believed that would not be able to access the information at a later time if they needed to recall it, indicating that people are much less likely to put forth effort in remembering information when they know where they can find it instead.

Further delving into how we use our memory in conjunction with our technological resources, researchers were curious as to what we think of first when asked to recall a piece of information.  Do we think about the specific memory first and dig into our rote memory to find it, or do we immediately jump to where we can go to find out?

Participants were asked whether there are any countries with only one color on their national flag.  What surprised researchers was that participants were better able to recall the folder on the computer where they had previously stored the information, instead of the actual information itself.

Remembering where you can find information, rather than the information itself, is referred to as our transactive memory.  Our brains rely on the Internet for memory in a very similar way as we rely on friends, family, co-workers and others to recall specific memories and information.  We remember less through knowing information itself than by knowing where information can be found.

The use of search engines suggests that human memory is reorganizing where it turns to find information.  We are adapting to new technologies rather than solely relying on our rote memory.  With new technology constantly being introduced and integrated into our daily lives, our brains evolve as we learn to use it.  Our brains will continue to evolve over time in response to the environmental stimuli that it is presented with.

While the Internet’s effects on memory are still largely unexplored territory, the Internet has become a primary external storage system, saving us time and freeing up parts of our brain to use for other, more creative endeavors.  It is easier to learn and understand complex concepts when we don’t feel pressured to have to remember everything.  By freeing up our mental RAM, we increase the speed by which we process other information.

Betsy Sparrow, psychologist and lead researcher on the Google Effect study, was quoted saying, “We’re not thoughtless, empty-headed people who don’t have memories anymore, but we are becoming particularly adept at remembering where to go to find things.  And that’s kind of amazing.”

by Rachael Glaszcz, guest blogger

Facebook will reportedly roll out a beta version of timeline interface for brands by the end of February. Is your brand ready? Are you set to detail your company’s accomplishments and perhaps (gasp!) public-worthy failures in glorious chronological order?

Facebook VP-Global Marketing Solutions David Fischer has said Timeline for brands will be “consistent” with the Timeline look for personal profiles, which is picture-heavy and scrapbook-like. If this is the case, companies will want to capitalize on the visual opportunities before them. For example, brands will be able to showcase big, bold photos or muted, clean colors- all depending on what their brand is, of course. Designers have jumped at the chance to mock up possible pages for major brands.

Another factor brands should consider is lifestyle apps and how they will come into play in the timeline interface. Right now apps such as Spotify and Pinterest show up in boxes on a user’s wall. Users “listened to” a song on Spotify and “pinned” something on Pinterest. This goes beyond Facebook users simply “liking” a brand. Spotify and Pinterest have found a way to engage users in a way that basically shouts, “Hey, this user used our brand!”

So with the prospect of the roll out before us, here are a few easy and brief ideas to get you and your brand ready to roll.

1. Consider the cover photo
First impressions are everything. That big, shiny picture will likely be front and center like it is on personal profiles. What is the first impression you want to make when people are perusing your page?

2. Talk about timeline
When was your company born? When did you have your first, major success? When did you attempt something that wasn’t successful at first, but it paved the way for something so successful you would’ve never dreamed it would become reality? How much of this do you want your fans to know? Perhaps you have video of these milestones that you want to share. Think about how you want to organize the information and how detailed you want it to be.

3. Mind your message
When the Timeline rolls out, what is the first thing you want to tell your fans about your new page? Talk about the best ways to showcase your hard work and come up with the messaging you want to use.

Ad Age reports Facebook Timeline for brands will debut February 29th, at fMC, its conference for marketers. What are you doing to get your brand ready?

Pinterest, pinterest, pinterest. Tired of hearing about it yet? Let’s face it, the web doesn’t really need another post about Pinterest; it’s pretty hard at this point to say anything about it that hasn’t been said. But it’s on a lot of clients’ minds. So…

…in the spirit of the Pinterest tool – visual bookmarking – I want to share this infographic from earlier this week that sums up why so much attention is on this tool at the moment. I know many people who despise infographics, thinking that they dumb down information. Well, if you’re anything like me, you may like a good, deep read as much as the next person, but with the information overload that we’re all under, not mind having something summed up for you now and then. So here you go.

We can testify to the *driving more traffic* part of this. We’ve got clients who are not themselves on Pinterest yet who are seeing Pinterest suddenly emerge as a top website traffic referral source.

To the question at hand: is Pinterest but a shiny object in the social media sky? I don’t think so. The passion for it among users is too immense. And the user experience is pure, simple and unique. Kids still love having bulletin boards in their rooms. And women LOVE pinning the things that turn them on. It’s a human truth that isn’t changing any time soon.

Metaphorically speaking, it’s not Jupiter…that would be Facebook, at least in terms of size, if not gaseousness. And its certainly not the Sun (your website). But I think it’s bigger than Pluto, a distant dwarf planet. It might be more like…Earth. It’s definitely an inner, rocky planet, versus an outer, gas giant planet. (Can you tell I spend a great deal of time with a geeky six-year-old?)

Depending on what your brand is, and who your users are, we do recommend that you consider adding Pinterest to your social media repertoire. Minimally, you may want to consider building the “pin this” button into your website.

What about you? Are you a pinner? Do you see a use for it for your brand? Where do you think it fits in the social system?

Given two studies on preference for mobile web versus mobile apps, I stand behind my previous post’s conviction: the mobile web is where brands need to be.

Consumers and advertisers slightly prefer the mobile web.

Consumers are pretty evenly divided on the debate when polled. It comes down to what they’re doing online. When shopping, searching and being entertained they gravitate to the web browser. Apps are preferred for gathering information and connecting, presumably with friends over Facebook and the like.

Consumer preference for mobile web over mobile apps depends upon activity

Advertisers slightly favor the mobile web, based on volume of ads served. Likely, because it’s been a more widely supported and stable ad platform to date. I imagine that when Facebook’s mobile ads start to run in March, the scale will likely tip back towards apps with Facebook’s 845 million global active monthly users, 425 million of whom are on its mobile version.

More ads served on mobile web than mobile apps

What’s a brand to do?

As I posted previously, the mobile web provides significant advantages for brands when it comes to development, management, cost and control of a brand experience. That said, brands do need to weigh these against the ability to deliver the best consumer experience.

Conclusion?

Given the lack of a strong preference by both consumers and marketers, plus the significant advantages to brands, I reiterate my position: not to app.

Where do you stand?

Remember how big and rapidly growing Tumblr was last year? Well, no one cares anymore. There’s a new web darling: Pinterest. Just like most social platforms, it’s difficult to easily describe what Pinterest is. For me, it is an inspiration board/discovery tool/visual bookmarking tool. Pinterest calls itself “an online pinboard to collect and share what inspires you. Discover new things hand-picked by people who share your interests.”

Unlike most startups, Pinterest grew quickly in the past few months because it was embraced by DIY crafters, designers and moms, not tech types. Over 59% of Pinterest’s users are women age 25-44, which makes it a very unique environment for fashion, travel, food, art, fitness and home décor topics. Not surprisingly, every day more and more brands start pinning. Some of the bigger and more popular ones are Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Etsy, Martha Stewart, TIME Magazine, Rent the Runway and the Travel Channel. Even universities and libraries are jumping in.

What can brands do on Pinterest?

1. Share what your brand stands for: Pinterest is a great platform to share the essence of your brand or the lifestyles it promotes. It’s not just about your products and/or services, but about the idea behind them, about what they allow people to do. Pinterest makes it really easy to visualize what your brand stands for and what’s the role it plays in peoples lives: empowering people to create the home of their dream, inspiring them to find their individual style, etc. It’s not about you, it’s about how you can help people. And, you can even segment your audiences and create different boards that appeal to different people with different lifestyles.

2. Share your corporate culture and core values: As people become more interested in learning about the people behind an organization and as organizations become more human and transparent, sharing a corporation’s culture and core values in an easy to digest visual way with short stories is a no-brainer. People are interested in the details and images can humanize the brand. Post pictures of the office, lunch breaks, office events, behind the scenes, people volunteering, etc.

3. Increase visibility and interest, even sales: As a great discovery tool that doesn’t require strong ties such as mutual friendship or an asymmetrical following, Pinterest makes it easy to stumble upon a variety of products that a user is highly likely to be interested in. From recipes to books, to furniture, to accessories, a user can find pretty much anything and everything. Not only that, but also pin those items to boards such as “Gift ideas,” “My Wedding,” “Home projects,” etc. Real Simple recently reported that Pinterest is driving more traffic to its site than Facebook.

4. Use it as a focus group: I’ve always said that social media is the best focus group you can ever get if you know how to mine the data and Pinterest is no exception. Millions of people use it to keep track of objects they love, places they enjoy, places they want to visit, foods they devour, clothes they want, things that inspire them. It’s the quickest way to glance into people’s lives and heads. Look at the pinners who follow your brand and see what they’re pinning and who else they’re following. As behavioral economists have told us, asking people what they want/need or how they feel isn’t as effective as observing their behavior. Pinterest allows for just that.

5. Inspire your team: Create mood boards and pin things that are interesting and relevant to your team. The world and the web are full with beautiful objects that make you want to apply for a job at Oscar de la Renta. Pinterest allows you to collect all these objects and organize them in a way that makes sense and is easy to navigate.

Because it’s focused on interests, Pinterest allows brands to participate in people’s lives in a more utilitarian, subtle and non-intrusive way.

Happy pinning!