Comments on: Information Overload http://trinityweblog.org/tciccarelli/2008/03/06/information-overload/ The Other Side of the Fence Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:09:05 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: skennedy http://trinityweblog.org/tciccarelli/2008/03/06/information-overload/comment-page-1/#comment-10 skennedy Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:50:00 +0000 http://trinityweblog.org/tciccarelli/2008/03/06/information-overload/#comment-10 Internet Indigestion is how I think of the kind of overload that we can experience as we sit with our computer, linked to the rest of the known universe, and bombarded with images, people, words, and pop-ups. There is no way of adequately digesting everything we encounter in even a five-minute span at the monitor. Two responses have helped me a bit, though I am switching to a metaphor less tied to the digestive system: 1) I go back to the surfing cliche of years ago: go quickly and smoothly and stay on the surface unless a big electric wave demands deeper attention, and 2) once that big wave forces me to ride it out, enjoy the unplanned way in which I am carried powerfully by new or important ideas. It's not a solution to everything or for everyone, and there is nothing novel about it. But the 2.0 experience can be all-consuming. I want to dive in, but only after I've tested the waters a bit more each day. I want to enjoy the ride, but not at the expense of my own peace of mind. And ultimately, I want to know that my day was dotted with intensity, knowledge, and enjoyment. Ultimately, learning doesn't occur in the straight line many of us thought growing up in schools. It occurs when it happens to us, and it's up to us to decide what is data, what is information, and what is knowledge. The last of the third is precious little -- and it is to be deeply valued. Internet Indigestion is how I think of the kind of overload that we can experience as we sit with our computer, linked to the rest of the known universe, and bombarded with images, people, words, and pop-ups.

There is no way of adequately digesting everything we encounter in even a five-minute span at the monitor. Two responses have helped me a bit, though I am switching to a metaphor less tied to the digestive system:

1) I go back to the surfing cliche of years ago: go quickly and smoothly and stay on the surface unless a big electric wave demands deeper attention, and 2) once that big wave forces me to ride it out, enjoy the unplanned way in which I am carried powerfully by new or important ideas.

It’s not a solution to everything or for everyone, and there is nothing novel about it. But the 2.0 experience can be all-consuming. I want to dive in, but only after I’ve tested the waters a bit more each day. I want to enjoy the ride, but not at the expense of my own peace of mind. And ultimately, I want to know that my day was dotted with intensity, knowledge, and enjoyment.

Ultimately, learning doesn’t occur in the straight line many of us thought growing up in schools. It occurs when it happens to us, and it’s up to us to decide what is data, what is information, and what is knowledge. The last of the third is precious little — and it is to be deeply valued.

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