Dealing with Information Overload

I do not think there is any dispute on the issue that we are facing acute information overload. Far from the days of waiting for the morning newspapers or the nine o’ clock news we have reached the stage when there is a continuous stream of information bombarding us 24 x 7 with nuggets of news and views real or fake. News does not mean a report of events but all kinds of theories and counter theories disseminated through social media and Web channels and TV channels.

The sad part is that most of this “information “ is not of our choosing , and nor do these inputs leave one unaffected. If we do not control what kind of information we consume, some one else is going to do it for us and surely they are not going to keep our well being and interests in mind.

I can hear that “I am too smart to be fooled by some propaganda” . Earlier only Advertisers specialized in perception management; today everybody does. Perceptions are sold scientifically and cleverly. A 30 seconds message telecast / web-cast or spun around through social media ,around the clock for a week can be so effective without anyone getting any wiser. An automioble company names a model Esteem and a little girl talking of the big car of her daddy makes any daddy associate self-esteem with a big car.

There are very credible news channels which have moved ever so subtly from center to far left , one starts seeing “center” on one extreme. It’s happening in India ; it’s happening around the world.

So what’s the solution ? Do we really stay away from TV Channels and Social media to fall back on the State Controlled media channels? Not really . The Net has some really rich sources that can be customized to suit your interests . Today, one can pick and choose as to what kind of information he wants and in what form. That is where RSS comes in . For the not so tech savvy, RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary.

Every news or information source has its own RSS link for providing a dynamic feed to it’s subscribers . This kind of information flow is not restricted just news or the main stream subjects, but can be very specific in line with a unique interest of a person. If I want to keep track of any writing or event associated with the great poet Subramanya Bharathi, well I can find a half dozen sources dealing with just that.

Should we use technology to follow the kind of information that gives us that inner happiness or should we drift aimlessly letting our minds be poisoned by the stuff forced on us. I do not mean it’s all bad, but one has heard often enough that one man’s meat is another man’s poison, to understand every human being is different and thrives on different kind of intellectual nourishment.

The idea of RSS is not something new but as old as the interent. I remember accessing a newsgroup long before M$ Windows came into being. It is these news groups that have morphed into News-feed applications. There are a number of apps for mobiles as well as for the web to collect and feed information for you. Rather than recommend specific apps ,keeping with the spirit of anti-spamming I would point to a link that gives a wide choice of apps   and choice of feeds.

Happy info gathering !

Cheers !