Architects of Memory

provide both citizens and government with near instantaneous access to information on any topic. If

anything, Humphrey’s desire for such antiquated technology seems charming. Smart technologies are

now de rigueur for most citizens. With the help of Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri, users can ask

personal devices for directions, recipes, or news, and they can expect, more often than not, to find

what they are looking for. Recent estimates indicate that a full three-quarters of Americans own a

smartphone, and among younger generations, saturation is more than 90 percent. 1 Globally, the

number of Internet users continues to rise year after year. 2 Not only can the US government punch a

button to receive omnipotent information, but a majority of global citizens can do the same.