Depersisting

Depersisting is a term used in some discussions to describe the process of reducing or removing persistence in a system, memory, or belief. It is not a widely standardized term, and its meaning can vary by field.

In computing, depersisting refers to practices that limit or eliminate long-term storage of data, favoring ephemeral state. Common approaches include using session storage instead of persistent cookies, in-memory caches, ephemeral containers or scratch disks, and auto-delete data policies. Depersisting can support privacy, security, and compliance by minimizing data retention and exposure in the event of breaches or audits.

In psychology and behavioral science, depersisting describes techniques aimed at reducing cognitive persistence or belief perseverance, encouraging flexible thinking and updating of beliefs in light of new evidence. Methods include debiasing training, exposure to alternative viewpoints, metacognitive prompts, and problem-solving tasks designed to break stuck patterns.

Applications and limitations: In practice, depersisting requires balancing performance, usability, and privacy. In computing, ephemeral approaches may incur latency or resource overhead. In psychology, measuring depersisting effects can be challenging, and there is ongoing research into effective debiasing strategies.

Related concepts include persistence, data minimization, ephemeral computing, belief perseverance, and cognitive flexibility.