LETTERS

Too much information

Posted 1/22/15

To the Editor: 

It is often said we live in the “Information Age” when what we really live in is an age of far too much information.

Anyone who watches television news is continually …

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LETTERS

Too much information

Posted

To the Editor: 

It is often said we live in the “Information Age” when what we really live in is an age of far too much information.

Anyone who watches television news is continually bombarded with an unrelenting wave of bad news. The local lead story is almost always a murder, fire or automobile accident. An old adage for a television was “If it bleeds, it leads.” Unfortunately, that still is true, particularly if it has good video. We now live in a constant 24/7 news cycle. It is too much information for anyone to truly understand, never mind absorb. Thanks to radio, television and newspapers, people are bombarded with a lot of stress they don’t need. We can’t do anything about tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes in other parts of the country, much less the world. We can say a prayer and sympathize with others’ plight, but that is about all we can do.

Life was a lot simpler in the good old days before the “Information Age.” It is not that bad things did not happen then, but we were not under a constant barrage of news and social media. News came in more manageable segments with time for analysis and introspection, not continual 60- or 30-second sound bites.

Our society is also on information overload thanks to electronic media. Emails, texts, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn and a host of other social media are constantly arriving at our computers, wireless phones and tablets. They disrupt our work, play and relationships, adding stress to our lives. The result is less social interaction and less physical activity for both kids and adults. Tweeting or texting is not the same as really talking to a person. A significant part of talking is body language and facial expressions. Those don’t exist in a text, Snapchat or email world.

Surfing the web has become a full-time occupation for many people. You can find out almost anything thanks to the Internet and search engines. This has a good side and a bad side. The Internet is a wonderful tool, great for someone trying to research an idea or find an item to buy. Unfortunately, it also has several unintended consequences, three of which are misinformation/disinformation, lack of socialization and a loss of privacy. We should view with a degree of skepticism any information provided in an email.

Once you hook up to the Internet, privacy is a thing of the past. Someone else is often watching what you look at and say, not to mention the risk of someone hacking your personal information and accounts. If you put something in an email, tweet or in the “cloud,” it can be there forever and you no longer control those words or pictures. A Facebook photo, email or tweet posted years ago can suddenly reappear, as numerous celebrities have found out. There is a German term for delighting in other people’s misfortunes, “schadenfreude,” and unfortunately we have an entire culture built on chronicling those problems. We really don’t need all that information about other people’s lives.

Life would be healthier, much richer, happier and less stressful with less information. Stress is a major factor in heart attacks and other physical and mental problems. Catastrophes, wars and accidents are not going away, but do we really need all that information? We should not tune out the world, just be more selective about the information we receive. We need to drink our news from a bubbler, not a fire hose. Too much information is exactly that, too much information.

 

Rick Wilson

Wakefield

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  • falina

    People really need to discover the lost art of "Minding Their Own Business".

    Thursday, January 22, 2015 Report this