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The Virtue Of Hitting 'Delete,' Permanently

Evolving digital technology has provided a steady aid for people in their quest to remember virtually everything. Social networking sites remind you of friends' birthdays, digital calendars send you reminders, and photos posted online preserve memories indefinitely.

But Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, author of Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age, argues that now is the time to reintroduce our ability to forget. The indelible digital memory can be as unforgiving as it is helpful. Mayer-Shonberger suggests an expiration date for information.

Mayer-Shonberger talks about his book, Delete, with Neal Conan, and makes his case for why forgetting is essential.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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