Course:MDIA300/Memory (Umberto Eco)

Background

Umberto Eco was an Italian author and a semiotician (a scholar of semiotics—the study of signs and symbols). He was born on January 5, 1932 and died February 19, 2016. As a scholar, he contributed to concepts in media studies. His background in philosophy and literature alongside his teachings as a professor in mass media influenced the theories he constructed throughout his lifetime. One of the ways in which he connected his theories on mass media and its influences on mass culture was examined through his concepts on the different types of memories. His theories on memory continue to influence the field of media studies.

Types of Memory

On November 1, 2003, Umberto Eco delivered a lecture entitled Vegetal and Mineral Memory: The Future of Books at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. This lecture provided the first definition of his theory on types of Memory.

Vegetal Memory

Vegetal memory refers to memory stored in its written form, originally made from papyrus and later adapted into books. Eco considers vegetal memory crucial because it is the basis of libraries, which he describes as the most important way of storing humanity’s collective memory. Vegetal memory works to preserve, recollect, and provide new knowledge through written records.

Mineral Memory

Mineral memory refers to information that was once recorded through resistant materials, such as clay and obelisks. This form of memory now encompasses electronic memory, which is stored in computers, silicon and digital technology. This newest form of memory demonstrates technology's ability to hold and collect knowledge. Mineral memory highlights the advancements of human information and the shift from physical media toward digital forms of preservation.

Organic Memory

Organic memory refers to the memory that resides in the brain and is made up of “flesh and blood”. This form was the earliest and most immediate type of memory. Organic memory encompasses a human’s individual memories and all the knowledge they have collected over time.

Memory & Technology

Throughout his career, Eco analyzed the connection between mineral memory (technology) and vegetal memory (books), presenting theories on the loss of collective memory and the excess of memory. These ideas were articulated in his 2013 lecture entitled Against the Loss of Memory, delivered at the Union Nation Headquarters in New York.

Loss of Collective Memory

Eco argued that the increasing reliance on digital technology by the newer generation contributes to the inability to recall the past. Mass media was described as an extension of mineral memory that primarily focuses on the present rather than documenting all the memories of the past. This theory views the need for immediacy as a main cause for the loss of collective memory that is meant to record the knowledge of mankind. According to his theory, the limitation of technology memory has prevented scholars from fully understanding the historical and societal context of certain concepts. Eco states that no culture aiming to preserve science, art, myths, religion, values and customs can exist and survive without collective memory. As collective memory is the basis of identity and society can not function without it.

Excess of Memory

Eco identified a crucial problem with memory stored in digital forms. The internet’s capacity to store vast quantities of knowledge leads to an overload of information or an excess of memory. His theory considered the danger of information being accumulated and consumed without proper filtration. His work points back to the societal norms of the past, which filter what information had value. With the introduction of mineral memory, he argued that there’s an inability to filter out unnecessary information, ultimately leading the information to be useless. Through mineral memory, humanity has increased its memory storage capacity, but lacks the parameter. Eco’s theory argues that the only way to combat and enrich memory is to read. He urged a movement back to vegetal memory, which would rely more on libraries. As their organization would limit the readers' access to an excess of information and promote the return of collective memory.

Implications in Media

Eco’s concepts on memory are also strongly related to other media theorists such as Bernard Stiegler and the concept of  “digital hypomnemata”—the way technology aids in the “externalization of memory.” With the continued increase of information and knowledge uploaded to the internet daily alongside the way that new forms of technology emerge, the way they mediate our memory, or how we externalize our memory, continue to evolve. Eco’s concepts of the differing types of memories continue to influence the literature and studies in media.

Legacy

His theories inspired works such as the documentary film Umberto Eco: A Library of the World, released in 2022. The film was a retrospective of the impact his work had, presented in a series of theories that he wrote and taught about. The film shows his discussion on the vegetal, mineral, and organic memory as well as his perspectives on the impacts brought upon by the expansive nature of the digital media landscape.