Memory Implants

Someone recently asked me, "What's your earliest memory?" I believe that my earliest memory was seeing my father looking down at me from above my crib. Many people do not have memories before the age of 3, so I question whether my memory was "true" or if it could have been influenced by parental storytelling, a video, or some other medium--I don't think so, but I can't say for sure.

On the other hand, my daughter (now 6 years old) claims to remember events from her infant, toddler, and preschool days. I believe this is largely influenced by the numerous photos and videos that I've taken since she was born. I enjoy making home movies with my photos and videos, and while most of the home movies that I've made within the last couple of years are posted on my YouTube channel, I have numerous other videos dating back to her birth, and we periodically take proverbial trips down memory lane to relive those moments. Even though she looked completely different back then, my daughter can unambiguously identify herself as an infant and toddler and recalls specific events because she has seen photos and videos from the early days of her life.

This observation leads to a variety of questions. What is the difference between "real" memory vs. "implanted" memories? Should we place any differential value on the memories based on where they came from? Is one kind of memory more enduring than another? Does the origin of the memory really matter at all, so long as they are memories?

I don't have any defensible responses to these questions, but I do enjoy taking trips down memory lane with my family, whether they are recent events or ones from the distant past. So for now, I will keep shooting more footage.