Shazam started forgetting songs as part of a clever Alzheimer’s campaign

It’s interesting how heavily we lean upon technology to help prop our brains up on a day-to-day basis, from offering up directions at the drop of a hat, diagnosing medical problems, helping us spell words, and even — in the case of Shazam — helping us identify that hooky song we keep hearing over the cafe speakers.

When that technology starts breaking down, we feel rather helpless, which is why the frustration felt by thousands of U.K. Shazam users last month when the system suddenly started ‘forgetting’ song titles was so important: it pales in comparison with the sense of helplessness and fear that sufferers of Alzheimer’s feel.

“The Day Shazam Forgot” was the brainchild of agency Innocean Worldwide U.K., who teamed with Shazam to raise awareness for the disease. The app “forgot” to identify songs… before pointing users to a donation page. It’s cheeky, and pointed, and a nice reminder that we are privileged to have technology, and even more-so to have the use of our memory.

Check out a video about the initiative, below.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.