FYI: Y have too much I

Here we are, the information age!! Has the amount of information today produced too much mental-pollution just as the industrial age produced too much pollution-spewing machinery? Has the amount of information today really "detract[ed]" from our quality of life, as David Shenk would suggest? I would certainly agree with the observation that the information overload has increased multitasking significantly. Is this healthy? I would offer that, though I've heard that some research suggests our generation is getting better at multitasking, the proliferation of multitasking has been a detriment to society- texting while driving, anyone? Texting while in class, anyone? Ever had to ask your mom to repeat something because you were... texting? Ha ha, okay, I'm not condemning texting, and I really like the ability to text and do something else at the same time. However, I think it is unwise to ignore the fatal consequences of trying to split your concentration between typing "lol" and something like driving. Heck, I've texted while driving before and I realize communication with friends is important but this is human life that's hanging in the balance. If you want any more of an idea of what multitasking can do to someone, watch Seven Pounds, 'nuff said. Again, I'm not condemning multitasking. I'm just warning that the expansion of multitasking is probably doing more harm than good.

Daniel Tammet, also brings up the point that "distraction costs people and companies time and efficiency. I completely agree- by not setting boundaries on personal communication (or just the amount of information one consumes) people are losing time and money. I know that whenever I try to facebook and do homework at the same time, I usually end up doing only one thing: not homework. In fact, Tammet cites research that suggests people need fifteen minutes to refocus after an email or instant message in order to settle into productive work. Imagine the hours of productivity wasted during a single instant message or texting conversation! Tammet, that's a long time!!

The point is made, however, that "information overload may not be quantity of info but our inability to know what to do with it." I think this is an excellent point- when people get accustomed to having information handed to them on a silver Google platter, they want everything handed to them on said platter- including their world view. I think there's a good deal of young people who can't sort through information because they're wandering around in their own TMI-funk, unsure of what they believe because they've encountered so much to believe.

Arnold Brown also provides strong evidence that there is just too much information to keep up with in our society. He says that "[b]usiness increasingly complain that communication is impeded by too much email." I have certainly found this to be true in my personal life. It's nearly impossible to keep track of old friends via facebook, email, phone, im, twitter, text and forge new relationships on top of going to school! Eventually, some of my relationships have dwindled, simply because I cannot keep up with them in the face of everything else I'm doing.

I think ultimately Americans are going to have to accept knowing a lot about a little instead of a little about a lot if we are to combine our expertise into something useful. There is just too much information to try and know everything about everything, and forcing people to ingest colossal amounts of info just to compete is hurting America.

While it's somewhat disjoint from my last point, I feel like this is a handy little quote from Brown to end things with... "Efficiencey-- doing things right-- should not be the goal. Instead, it should be effectiveness-- doing the right things."