You Won't Remember the Pandemic the Way You Think You Will

[kcr]

12. I'm not saying memory is 100% accurate

I'm just saying the complete opposite is also not true. If memory really worked like that, we would have no sense of personal continuity. Just because it doesn't work exactly like a video recorder doesn't mean it's without any sort of reliable accuracy. I suspect it's the media cherry picking the more outrageous claims over the mundane science that won't get the clicks. Like this, which doesn't show up on the first page of a search:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/the-surprising-accuracy-of-memory

And this:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/defining-memories/201405/why-your-memory-is-far-better-you-think

Mistakes of memory are more newsworthy to us than everyday accuracy, just as crimes are more newsworthy than everyday legal behavior. We do not shout out our memory accuracies. (Ironically, remembering instances of faulty recall is a form of accurate memory.)