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The Information Diet

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The Information Diet

A Case for Conscious Consumption

O'Reilly,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Swallowing too much information can compromise your mental health. So watch your intake but include this tasty book.

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

The remarkable developments of the digital age easily become overwhelming. From laptops to iPads to Twitter to Bluetooth, consumers have a greater ability to communicate and access information today than at any time in history. But being plugged in can seem like a form of slavery if you feel compelled to click on every email, respond to every text message, or spend hours monitoring multiple websites and watching YouTube videos. Just as a diet of chocolate chip cookies and tortilla chips can lead to obesity, consuming too many empty calories of information can compromise your mental health. Political communications expert Clay A. Johnson, who managed the online part of President Barack Obama’s first campaign for the White House, explains how to be a selective data consumer and protect your peace of mind. getAbstract recommends his self-protective tactics to anyone who’s ready to adopt a more discerning approach to information consumption. His advice can help you lower the level of technological noise buzzing around your head and improve your concentration and productivity. If you feel inundated by the volume of material on the web, step back, take a deep breath, and formulate a strategy to use the good stuff and leave the rest behind.

Summary

The Fat of the Land

Dieting is one of America’s favorite pastimes. Roughly 20,000 books on weight loss are in print, and hundreds more hit the bookshelves every month. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, obesity rates in the US have accelerated since 1990, even though almost everyone knows the dire health consequences of being overweight. Food manufacturers are happy to oblige consumers’ preferences for products laden with sugar, salt and fat. Food has become highly processed, less nutritious and cheaper to produce.

Food consumption and information consumption are remarkably similar. Computer technology provides access to an infinite amount of information from countless sources. Like food, some of it is tasty and nutritious, but a great deal of it is filled with empty calories that weigh you down and clog your mental arteries.

Information Transformation

Just as Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type in the 15th century signaled a revolutionary change in the transmission of information, personal computers and the Internet have created an unprecedented transformation in the 21st century. The world is literally at your fingertips...

About the Author

Clay A. Johnson managed Barack Obama’s online campaign for the presidency in 2008 and directs Sunlight Labs at the Sunlight Foundation.

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    A. S. 1 decade ago
    This summary actually makes a good case for services like getabstract, which condense knowledge well and reduce information overload