I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing
Who likes their info by the handful? Turns out we all do. Instead of sitting down to elaborate meals full of facts, opinions, and perspectives on a single subject, today’s data diet consists of quick factoids, vid clips, and sound bites on any and every interest. Basically, we scarf down news and entertainment like a busload of sumo wrestlers at an Old Country Buffet.
The trend’s called info snacking, and like it says on the potato chip bag, bet you can’t eat just one.
I have to wonder, however, if trying to follow a hundred blogs, casts, and bookmarks so that we stay in the know won’t get overwhelming. As a friend of mine wisely points out when someone is spread too thin: Jack of all trades, master of none.
For now, it’s a lot of fun trying to keep up. Snacking is certainly the right metaphor. Polish off a bag of munchies and the filled-up feeling only lasts a little while before you’re hungry again. Fortunately, there are still plenty of places to get a proverbial porterhouse (think books, newspapers, quarterlies, feature-length documentaries). As much as I love my RSS feeds, I still try to read the Washington Post front to back every morning.
When it comes to information, do you sit down to three squares, or would you rather nibble the day away?
Del.icio.us, 
Digg, 
Technorati, 
Furl, 
Reddit,
Spurl
RSS
Lenika Shah said,
on March 22nd, 2007 at 8:13 am
Jay,
Since the technology platforms that news reporters and companies use are so robust, it’s almost impossible to just confine yourself to three squares. (Unless you’re a hermit and don’t ever use the internet or listen to the radio etc).
Nowadays, news gets delivered as it occurs so more often then not, we already know about events as they are unfolding, instead of finding out about them the next morning via the paper.
Of course, snacking relentesly can be overwhelming, as you and your friend suggest. That’s why can choose RSS feeds and podcasts based on content that we care for the most.
As for me, I snack throughout the day, starting with a full breakfast of NPR news in the morning and tidbits from BBC online through out the day.
Sara Hill Isacson said,
on March 22nd, 2007 at 2:00 pm
There’s no doubt that I’m a hardcore snacker–but I’ve definitely learned that simply being “aware” of a lot of different things doesn’t enable me to contribute well to conversations or make well-informed decisions about them.
So while I might not read the Post cover-to-cover, I try to take heartier bites of topics that I find important, so that I can go from being “aware” of them to actually KNOWING them.
Chris Ammon said,
on March 22nd, 2007 at 3:11 pm
The more I snack the more pressure is put on the editors who write the headlines. After going RSS crazy recently it’s a hefty challenge for me just to get through those!
Sometimes I like to snack at my house so I know exactly what I’m going to get. It’s like subscribing to the RSS from accessify.com, all website accessibility all the time. Mmm.
Other times I like to mooch off my friends. It’s fun to try snacks I might not have bought. That’s more like subscribing to Seth’s blog. Maybe I’ll like it, maybe not, but it’s exposing me to broader tastes and that never hurts. Especially if it’s just a bite.