Information Overload

The last decade has revealed many unforeseen impacts of the internet on social interaction and human behavior. The internet, at its core, however, succeeds at one thing above all else — rapidly increasing the speed by which information spreads.

In many regards, this is a brilliant advance for humanity and has led to many second, third, etc level gains from these improvements (think collaboration on research, emergency situations, entertainment).

Conversely, the massive increase in the velocity of information has, without a doubt, led to information overload. From the moment we wake up until we go to bed, we are bombarded with outside sources of information. Even 20 years ago, it would have been impossible to come into contact with as much information as we do today.

Needless to say, it is entirely unlikely that humans have successfully developed the tools by which this volume of information could be properly processed. As a result, judgment and critical thinking, have, without a shred of doubt, suffered horrendously.

Generally speaking, I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, however, I had a thought around the New Year in relation to this that has proved prescient with the insane start to 2022 that the news cycle has seen.

That thought is the following — I want to have fewer opinions.

My rationale for that is pretty simple:

• There is absolutely no way I can form a meaningful opinion on every single topic in the news cycle. It is very easy to read a provocative news headline or tweet and think there must be an obvious opinion about a topic.

My new mental model for this is simple if the only information I have is from headlines, Twitter, or Instagram squares, I don’t get an opinion on the topic. Similarly, if I am listening to someone whose opinion is likely formed from those sources, I will not form an opinion based on their conjecture and (failed) appeal to authority.

• By trying to have an opinion on everything, I actually have an opinion on nothing.

If I spend all my time trying to form many small, uninformed opinions, I will have no time to form meaningful ones which I have thought through and informed myself on.

All of this is said in an effort to encourage others to have fewer opinions, to which there is one more major justification.

Media sources primarily run on ad revenue. As a result, the catchiest headline, which can be published the quickest, tends to win in the public eye. It gets all of the reshares, retweets, and outrage which get people to click and earn them ad revenue.

It is likely not wise to form an opinion on anything that is “breaking news” as there is simply not enough information by which a complete, fact-based opinion can be formed. Oftentimes, more representative information comes out after the 24-hour window to win the “outrage ad revenue” has passed, at which point forming an opinion becomes possible.

If the topic is important enough, nobody should be upset that you are waiting more than 24 hours to form an opinion. “Au Contraire, Randy, Au Contraire”

TG