Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Information overload_ A recurring fear.PDF
Information overload_ A recurring fear.PDF
Out of control
Whilst some will take comfort in Toffler’s words, some of the notions seem rather
quaint forty years later. Just as people today throw around the number of tweets sent
per second or the amount of video watched online, in the early 1970s Toffler followers
and techno-reactionaries liked to scatter their own figures to show the magnitude of
the problem.
In the same Futurist essay that decried the rise of the number of TV channels, the
author Ben Bagdikian goes on to overwhelm readers with even more daunting
numbers, explaining that computers will soon be able to store information at a rate of
12 million words a minute, whilst printers will be able to pump out 180,000 words a
minute; something that will collide violently with humanity’s ability to process
information, he said.
“The disparity between the capacity of machines and the capacity of the human
nervous system is not a small matter in the future of communications,” he wrote. “It
has individual and social consequences that are already causing us problems, and will
cause even more in the future.
“The human being of the near future probably will need as much sleep as he does
today. He will spend more time absorbing abstract information than he does today,
continuing the trend of past generations. But there is a limit.”
It is a warning that we still hear today in many contexts. For example, author
Jonathan Franzen, an opponent of electronic books, argues that traditional paper
tomes give humanity some much needed stability in a world rocked by change. He
fears that this rapid pace is hurting us. “Seriously, the world is changing so quickly that
if you had any more than 80 years of change I don't see how you could stand it
psychologically," he said.
Accept change
Yet history seems to suggest we ride these waves of change. I am typing this on a 15-
hour flight over the Pacific Ocean. In that time, I watched two movies, three TV
episodes and read half of a (deadtree) book. No one was forcing me to consume this
media, nor even write these words. I made a conscious choice that this is how I wished
to spend my time. I would also argue that most people reading an essay about the
concept of information overload on the internet have some choice in the matter.
Toffler, Bagidikian and Franzen are not necessarily wrong or even alarmist in their
concerns that we should seek to control our own technological destinies. But futility
should not win the argument. Your consumption of media is largely within your
control. We have a choice in the matter. We can change the channel, turn off the TV, or
close the laptop lid. These are our choices, and it is hard to see how any of them are
irrational or happening to us rather than with us.
Victor Cohn, in his 1956 book, 1999: Our Hopeful Future might have put it most
reasonably. Cohn was a pragmatist and understood that we could not run from the
future, but that by embracing change we might do some good: “Reject change, and we
will be enslaved by it. Others will accept the worst of it and dictate to us. Accept
change, and we may control it.”
Sooner or later, the future catches up with us all. But it need not swallow us whole.
If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on Future, head
over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.
Digital Social media Data Popular culture
Watch
Which hiccup remedies Mubble Fubbles: Six forgotten Malaysia's adventure hotspot The global phenomenon
actually work? words you'll need this summer that crosses seven habitats swallowing whole
neighbourhoods
Why do we get hiccups and how can we Who doesn't love a spot of sunset An 11-mile hike in the Bako National
get rid of them? gongoozling on their summer holiday? Park in Malaysia transports travellers Giant ravines: Entire communities
through seven distinct habitats. disappearing because of an extrem
6 hrs ago 21 hrs ago form of soil erosion.
2 days ago
3 days ago
More
1 day ago
TikTok faces fresh US pressure over child privacy
The allegation from US regulators adds to the growing pressure faced by the social media firm.
3 days ago
More people turning away from news, report says
News avoidance is now at record high levels, the Reuters Institute's 2024 Digital News Report says.
6 days ago
Bot or not: Are fake accounts swaying voters towards Reform
UK?
The BBC traces people behind social media profiles posting hundreds of repetitive messages backing
Reform UK.
Home News Sport Business Innovation Culture Travel Earth Video Live Audio Weather BBC Shop
Terms of Use About the BBC Privacy Policy Cookies Accessibility Help Contact the BBC Advertise with us Do not share or sell my info Contact technical support
Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.