I’ve filled my life with content delivery systems of every shape and kind. Between my Kindle, iPod, XM Radio (not to mention Slacker and Pandora!), and the Roku Netflix device, there is almost no reason to be alone in my head anymore. There is almost always some kind of input (with apologies to Johnny 5) coming in.
Problem is, there’s really too much. It’s an embarrassment of means, but no definable or worthwhile end. And the sheer volume of content that is thrown into my head every day makes it more and more difficult to actually think. You know, not simply decision-making thought, but actual, real thinking. Is that due to my own inability to focus in spite of the noise and make every moment and every input count? Or can we blame society on this one?
And what does this do to content itself? I’ve already discussed about how the value of information is declining. Working writers and photographers already know this. If everyone is both a publisher and consumer, is there anything special about being a publisher anymore? They are no longer the gatekeepers of expression in society.
And with all this content out there, how does an individual sort the good stuff from the garbage? Google sure seems to want to help with that — at least according to their own ideas of what is good and evil. Certainly Digg and StumbleUpon and their peers can claim that role. But it’s not perfect and not reflective of a wide enough variety of tastes to be considered inclusive.
So it would seem that the problem of “too much” affects both the publisher and the consumer. But would you go back to having only 3 TV channels and a handful of radio stations? I doubt it. I know I wouldn’t.
