A recent study estimates that approx 100,000 words a day reaches our eyes and ears through all types of media ; enough to overload a laptop in a week. Whilst there is no danger of the brain not coping, the scale of data and explosion of sources is changing the way we behave and think.
Continuous partial attention is now commonplace... emailing, texting and talking simultaneously with the vast majority of what we are being exposed to being superficial. And if you are a teenager, then add listening to music, watching TV and doing your homework at the same time as well !
We seem to be so busy processing information from all directions, that we do not have or create the time to think and are losing the tendency for meaningful response. Bizarrely, it seems that just as we become more and more connected, the more likely we will actually feel disconnected due to the lack of substance and meaning in most of the connections.
It has been said that in all cultures, and all socio-economic models, the human being can only maintain a meaningful relationship with approx 150 friends or colleagues. Hence the size of the Roman legion !
The challenge then is to exercise some control and consider how to balance the increasing time for processing input with the reducing time to achieve impact. So, take stock on your effort vs reward ; check out what information you receive vs what you really need ; re-balance quantity with quality, fine tune and be prepared to continually adjust.
The issue now is not the technology, as any main stream device will give you all the information you could ever want, it’s the human response appropriate for your desires and your circumstances. This could simply mean using the key feature on all devices.... the on/off button... and ensuring you have uninterrupted thinking time in your life.
