In this era of highly biased “fact-checkers” who pick apart all statements made by those on the Right, while running cover for those on the Left, information overload in general threatens our ability to educate ourselves, leaves us more vulnerable as citizens and less cohesive as a society, and diminishes control over most of our lives.
Presciently, in his classic 1997 book, Data Smog, David Shenk offered numerous “Laws of Data Smog.” For example, information is now plentiful and taken for granted. Putting a computer in every classroom is like putting an electric power plant into every home; education cannot be fixed with a digital pipeline of data. Too many experts spoil the clarity; and lead to the paralysis of analysis.
The Glut has Arrived
The law of diminishing returns, Shenk said, applied to the growing speed and abundance of information, “will produce an infoglut that will no longer add to our quality of life.” As we’ve witnessed, infoglut is already cultivating stress, confusion, and, yes, ignorance.
In a glutted environment, he said, the most difficult task is finding a receptive audience. As information volumes increase, our common discourse and shared understanding decrease, and people turn to niche media, often highly skewed, and specialized knowledge.
Amidst increasing distraction and speediness, he noted, beware: Lies and mis-truths will move so much faster than the truth, they will too often become the truth. The mainstream media knows this too well. On the web, most roads enhance the power of spin doctors.
Action Steps
What can one do? He offers ideas for readers and suggests sweeping away clutter, resisting advertising, limiting e-mail, turning off the TV (especially the evening ‘news’ and cable political commentary) avoiding information iniquity, and reaching across niche boundaries.
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