Information Overload

Information overload is a very real thing.
Even if you don't want that infomation
I never much cared for tabloid media news but in this switched on world of trending posts and clickbait fodder, it's increasingly hard to ignore pointless drivel.
A week ago, if you asked me who Zayn Malik was, I would have stared at you blankly.
Now, through relentless media hype, I know that he is in the band One Direction.
Except he's not, as he's leaving.
My fascination with the subject ended before I wrote any of that.

The current media hype in this country is the suspension (now sacking) of Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson following a violent outburst during which he punched a producer.
The two stories have merged.
This has resulted in endless satirical pictures:

This is one of many such 'amusing' memes...

My point is that I don't want to know or care about the events in the lives of Mr Malik or Mr Clarkson :
Neither of them impact on my world, but it seems as though such things are becoming commonplace.
I mean purely in terms of demographics, is there a crossover audience for Jeremy Clarkson and One Direction , because I doubt it.
So the point is..?.

Add caption

These images are used for educational purposes

Of course, a common piece of advice these days is that if you don't agree with something, just move on.
That's the nature of the online world: and in fairness, I have no opinion on 1-Direction, or infact, any such popular combo, but I resent being swamped with electronic spam reminding me endlessly of their continued existence.
And whilst I'm ignoring them, we get this warped crossover moment, and I swear I can see the machinations of hell at work.
It's trivial, it's pointless, and it's in your face.

Whatever happened to - gasp- news ?

Information overload is a very real thing: the figures below are taken from analysis by GoGulf  :

Every Sixty Seconds

168 million emails sent

694,445 Google searches

695,000 Facebook status updates

370,000 Skype calls are made

98,000 tweets on Twitter

20,000 new posts on Tumblr

13,000 iPhone apps downloaded

6,600 new pictures on Flickr

1,500 new blog entries posted

600+ videos posted totalling over 25 hours duration on YouTube
 These figures are for the U.S.A.

Of course it's important that we have the opportunity to switch our brains off occasionally, for fear of overheating - especially in the 24/7 info culture we currently embrace.
But do we switch off?
An incoming text makes a noise or vibration on your smartphone - do you check ?
How long can you resist the allure of 'The Book of Face' - a friend of mine has even given it up for Lent !
Sign of the times, or a real addiction ?

Apparently the average Farcebook user spends 7 hours and forty - five minutes online with FB every month.
In my mind, I see  a chap with a stopwatch and a notebook following someone from room to room.

Unsettling, isn't it ?

Exactly, and on that note, we should all write to our collective MPs.
Or just 'like' the form...

This timewasting trivia brought to you by me.

Thank you !

Updates To Date

This is a revised version of the previous 'Excuse us while we catch up', as that post included a tribute to the late, great Leonard Nimoy,  whereas the updates (and Mr Nimoy) are best with a dedicated page, so here it is.
There's a pattern quickly emerging, which seems to be that news swiftly follows my postings, so regular updates are needed !

Anti-Social Media' was so anti-social, it vanished !

My post (Nudge Nudge Wink Wink !) , was inspired by news of an impending clampdown by Google on blogs containing explicit material.
That clampdown was amended to a light spanking, and all's well that ends well (apart from the outrage I feel at having needlessly exposed my teenage secrets)...that said, I wonder if Google were simply following the adage "If you want a correct answer to something online, just post the wrong one and wait..."
Perhaps they realised that the very threat of censorship would have bloggers up in arms and creating lewd and salacious content in defense of free speech, thus generating lots of online 'traffic' - if so, well played, Google, you sly dogs!


In the post Kindergarten Konspiracy, I gave a thumbs up to those campaigning (in the U.S.) for Net Neutrality, and that was ultimately upheld by the FCC, so well done, freedom fighters - and boo hiss to the corporate Keepers of the Gateway (Verizon and Comcast) who sought to create a two lane virtual highway with broadband throttling for those who didn't pay more for their interweb.
Like most things in my blog, that's a gross over - simplification , but anyways...


Recent post Leaving Before The Rush, written on the sad passing of  author Terry Pratchett, is now an example of serendipity, in that I mentioned my first exposure to his work was book number 33 in the  Discworld series, Going Postal , and now, as an ongoing tribute to his genius, a line of code has been inserted into the headers of many web servers, as happened in that very book following the death of  John Dearheart, because: "A man is not dead whilst his name is still spoken".


This link is to the relevant article from The Guardian 


P.S.

The post 'Anti - Social Media' has been removed on the grounds that it is negative and pointless. Saying that, I have included a collage  (above)  I made for that post, which should give you an idea of what a 'bad trip' it was...

Further updates pending !