We are living in the world of Twitter feeds, RSS feeds, Blog subscriptions, Google alerts, targeted news apps and subscription email alerts. We have more information thrown at us in a single day now than perhaps in an entire month 10 years ago - but do we know more now?
The subscriptions and feeds that I read and follow revolve around topics and people that interest me. They were MY choice, MY selection. Have I narrowed my knowledge and/or education because I have "specialized" my information? Does this blinders on approach for information hinder me or help me be more efficient? We as readers are defined and informed by the diversity of the information sources that we choose to consume. It is a user-created Web!
In this busy world, we do not have enough hours in the day to absorb all the news and information available so we are forced to choose topics. I am no longer regularly exposed to information and points of view other than what I have asked for. The news that is served up to me has been specifically ordered by me! I wonder, is this exacting behavior a detriment? Exposure breeds creativity, tolerance and active thinking. Certainly I receive news and information FASTER now than ever before but do I have enough exposure to topics and ideas that are foreign to me? By learning about "the other side of the coin" we are often better at explaining our own point of view. After all, knowledge is power.
So with that thought, how do I find the "other point of view"? Do I just shoot darts out in the dark and randomly select news feeds or Twitter accounts trying to broaden my information base? How can I stumble upon something if I have such a controlled environment of where to look?
My Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy will end with this tweet:
“The power of Twitter is in the people you follow.”-@nytimes
