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Silicon Valley's solution to overload: more technology
Overloaded workers today are dealing with too much information, too much data, too much technology.
In Bit Literacy I write about how the technology industry will inevitably rush to create, and sell, a solution: yet more technology.
Users who spend a couple of hours reading the book and putting the method into practice can solve much of their overload right away; but how much cooler is it to install another shiny app to play with?
This Wall Street Journal article (reg. required) describes the problem/solution:
Email overload is now considered a much bigger workplace problem than traditional email spam. Inboxes are bulging today partly because of what some are calling "colleague spam" -- that is, too many people are indiscriminately hitting the "reply to all" button or copying too many people on trivial messages, like inviting 100 colleagues to partake of brownies in the kitchen. A good chunk of today's emails are also coming from brand new sources, like social- and business-networking sites like Facebook Inc. and LinkedIn Corp., or text messages forwarded from cellphones.
Unlike previous email-technology companies that only addressed problems like external email spam or offered narrow products that screened messages for certain content, new companies are now springing up to deal with the email-overload problem and help sort the deluge.
These products are filters on users' incoming bitstreams, such as the one "which uses algorithms to quickly analyze a user's email to determine which contacts and messages are the most important."
While I think it's ultimately up to the user to decide what's important - that's their job in this information-saturated world - it's of course handy to have some good filters on hand.
So the tools are fine - I wish these companies well - but users still need, first, to become bit literate. If you're overloaded, read the book.
Excellent point. I tell clients "It's not the instrument, it's the musician." Yes, a beautiful guitar is a joy, and helps make the work better, but it's how you use it that makes all the difference. A great musician can make a limited instrument sing; for example, I use paper for my action management system.
There is great aversion towards moderation and restraint in some cultures. Plus it's hard to money off it. The trend towards more-more-more will be hard to curb.
- or another phrase to it: " - many a victory has been won by brave men with blunt swords but none ever by a coward, however sharp his blade..."
Or something like that.
:)
Some old Zen master, I forget which (Philip Kapleau?) said it best: "Technology - major accomplishments for minor needs of humankind."