All of us have used the term “Information Overload”, but is it really that? This book, The Information Diet by Clay Johnson, has a different take on how we use information.
The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption
The author shares that humans spend upwards of 11 hours out of every 24 hours in a state of constant consumption. Not eating, but gorging on information ceaselessly spewed from the screens and speakers we hold dear. Just as we have grown morbidly obese on sugar, fat, and flour—so, too, have we become gluttons for texts, instant messages, emails, RSS feeds, downloads, videos, status updates, and tweets. As part of the technological revolution, many of us are addicted. We wake up and have to check our social media to see who did what when and comment on this here and there.
We’re all battling a storm of distractions, hit with notifications and tempted by tasty tidbits of information. This is just like too much junk food can lead to obesity, too much junk information can lead to cluelessness according to the author. We are taking multitasking to extreme limits. So here is a book that opened my eyes. The Information Diet shows you how to thrive in this information glut—what to look for, what to avoid, and how to be selective. In the process, author Clay Johnson explains the role information has played throughout history, and why following his prescribed diet is essential for everyone who strives to be smart, productive, and sane.
In The Information Diet, you will:
- Discover why eminent scholars are worried about our state of attention and general intelligence
- Examine how today’s media—Big Info—give us exactly what we want: content that confirms our beliefs
- Learn to take steps to develop data literacy, attention fitness, and a healthy sense of humor
- Become engaged in the economics of information by learning how to reward good information providers
- Just like a normal, healthy food diet, The Information Diet is not about consuming less—it’s about finding a healthy balance that works for you
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