For Bernard Stiegler, whoever controls tertiary retention effectively controls collective memory and, by extension, the collective experience of time. Stiegler’s concept of tertiary retention refers to the externalized, technological forms of memory-such as written texts, recordings, digital files, and other material or digital artifacts-that store and transmit cultural memory beyond individual human consciousness14.

Stiegler argues that tertiary retention is not merely a passive storage of memory but is constitutive of primary (immediate perception) and secondary (recollection) memory. In other words, these external memory supports shape how individuals and societies perceive and remember the past, influencing present consciousness and future projections23. For example, technologies like the turntable or digital calendars mediate everyday experience and memory, showing how tertiary retention shapes the temporal structure of human experience2.

Moreover, Stiegler emphasizes that collective memory-the shared memory of a community or society-is formed and maintained through tertiary retention. This collective memory is crucial for social and political identity, as it organizes a community’s past and projects a common future. However, the control over tertiary retention also means control over this collective memory and the political subjectivity of the community. Stiegler warns that the industrialization and commercialization of memory technologies can lead to an "unconscious" collective memory that individuals have not lived through but which shapes their consciousness and social reality5.

In summary, Stiegler holds that control over tertiary retention equates to control over collective memory and the collective understanding of time, making it a powerful political and cultural force15.(Perplexity)