Smaller Fragments of Information Command Attention
I do find that smaller and smaller bits of information can command the full attention of my over-educated mind. And not just me; everyone reports succumbing to the lure of fast, tiny, interruptions of information. In response to this incessant barrage of bits, the culture of the Internet has been busy unbundling larger works into minor snippets for sale. Music albums are chopped up and sold as songs; movies become trailers, or even smaller video snips. (I find that many trailers really are better than their movie.) Newspapers become twitter posts. Scientific papers are served up in snippets on Google. I happily swim in this rising ocean of fragments.
While I rush into the Net to hunt for these tidbits, or to surf on its lucid dream, I’ve noticed a different approach to my thinking. My thinking is more active, less contemplative. Rather than begin a question or hunch by ruminating aimlessly in my mind, nourished only by my ignorance, I start doing things. I immediately, instantly go.
Notes:
Kevin Kelly describes how he his attention is grabbed by smaller bits of information and his mind more active as a result.
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An Intermedia with 2 Billion Screens Peering Into ItTriples
Perspectives on Online Attention
Attention is the Fundamental Literacy > Comparison > Smaller Fragments of Information Command AttentionKevin Kelly and Howard Rheingold discuss managing their attention spans in the online world.
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