Stop the World
In this article in the New Yorker George Packer (presumably no relation to J.I.) writes about Twitter and, in so doing, writes about other social media. He says “The truth is, I feel like yelling Stop quite a bit these days. Every time I hear about Twitter I want to yell Stop. The notion of sending and getting brief updates to and from dozens or thousands of people every few minutes is an image from information hell. I’m told that Twitter is a river into which I can dip my cup whenever I want. But that supposes we’re all kneeling on the banks. In fact, if you’re at all like me, you’re trying to keep your footing out in midstream, with the water level always dangerously close to your nostrils. Twitter sounds less like sipping than drowning.” I think this is well worth thinking about. Have you paused to consider recently how much information you access in a given day? How much information flies past your eyes every twenty four hours? Social media treats us like we are all kneeling at the bank of the river, wanting and even needing more. It assumes that we need and want instant access to all the information our friends and contacts can crank out. But in reality a lot of us, like Packer, already feel like we’re standing in the middle of the river, fighting to keep our heads above water. What are you doing to manage the flow of information into and around your life?
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