Janet Johnson | The Art of Marketing

Let’s be careful where we’re heading. In 1974 Pong was introduced and ushered in the “digital natives” era. Thirty three years later, we have complete information overload and the iPhone, the coolest new tool for complete accessibility available. Information is being kicked out more easily than it is being assimilated and even understood.

Which begs the questions: how much information can people handle, and is it all really necessary?

According to a February report by Basex called Information Overload,We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us, anyone born in the past 33 years is capable of multitasking quite naturally, whereas those of us who are older must learn to do so - we don’t have such a propensity for handling multiple IM sessions or Twittering while on conference calls.

As my yoga teacher revealed today, ’some people are wired for movement, some are wired for stillness.’ She was talking about meditation though I believe it applies here.

Changing the way we think about knowledge and information

According to the US Department of Commerce, the Knowledge economy overtook the Industrial economy in late 1999, and unskilled labor now makes up only 20% of the work force vs. more than 90% at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Knowledge workers have changed a lot over the years - as is evidenced by the language we speak and the tools we use. I am reminded, as I write about collaboration tools and read about fabulous implementations of cool knowledge management tools, of the importance of taking a step back and remembering: we’re all writing for (and speaking to) people who have different ways of assimilating information.

• I’m comfortable writing publicly and in email, use RSS, hate the phone (but love my Blackberry), and don’t like to print things.
• Dan won’t make a presentation using a PC. He likes to be able to write on a nicely bound PowerPoint presentation when in front of clients.
• Johnny carries his laptop everywhere as well as his PDA, loves Twitter, Facebook and iPTV.

A danger of too much information, too, is that everything is equally urgent and needs my attention now. I am guilty of that in spades.

What gets neglected? Usually the (most important) people who quietly live their lives around mine, and don’t flash on my screen (they’re relegated to ‘wallpaper’ - really??) or ring in my ear or comment on my blog.

Even coolest iPhone application will never have arms that would willingly wrap themselves around my shoulders…

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