The deluge of information we experience every day has overwhelmed our critical faculties.
We are drowning in digitised stuff. Our coping mechanisms become part of our routine and before we know it, we display the mechanised information seeking behaviour of the addict.
The fact that many of us are “knowledge workers” is ironic. We don’t have time to produce knowledge as we are too busy processing.
Information is not knowledge
Data. Information. Knowledge. Wisdom. Information addiction keeps us stuck in second gear. For information to become knowledge it must be patterned and used repeatedly.
Reacting and responding
We prize reacting to information too much. People who quickly form an opinion and take action are simply acting on impulse.
Don’t accept the pressure to always think in the moment. It’s OK to ask if you can sleep on it. In fact, it’s essential. That’s where our dreams do the work.
Reflecting and reframing
Stepping outside of the flow and appreciating context, bias and alternatives are behaviours we should value and work towards.
Ask what information means to you and what you can do with it, now or in the future. Take time to consider sources, intentions and alternatives, no matter how discomforting.
Evaluating information
Gregory Bateson defined information as "a difference that makes a difference".
Cultivate a sense of quality by considering whether new information makes a difference to your understanding of the world. If it doesn't, ignore it. There is value in ignorance after all.