The Dark Side of the Information Age and Your Career

Read Time: 2:25
The Dark Side of the Information Age??? What kind of Darth Vader mentality are we looking at that conjures up a statement like that? How could there be a dark side to a series of events and an ingenious system that literally changed the world as we know it for the better? Point made – I got it! But here are a few things to consider which became blatantly obviously to me while (once again) researching for my new book.

The words “information overload” have taken on a brand new meaning for me. Between books (yes, I still read books), the power of the content of the internet (the heart of the information age), the library (still a great resource), emails from information guru’s and outspoken individuals from various social networks (never-ending), and a multitude of facts and opinions from [literally] concerned friends, the amount of information available for me to process as I handle the chore of building content in author mode is nothing less than staggering. When considering your career, I don’t think anyone involved in some type of learning process escapes this scenario, no matter what they’re pursuing. Why is that a concern you say? Here are a few bullet points, if I may:

• One of the cornerstones of any type of personal growth in any area is the efficient use of your time. This is a critical point in any endeavor. Information overload can easily disrupt that premise.
• Redundancy creates doubt. Case in point: “You too can make thousands just sitting at your computer in your pajamas with a glass of wine.” Maybe, just maybe this is true. But after seeing thirty versions of this claim, my finger can’t get to delete quick enough. It negates authenticity through the act of pure repetition.
• Prioritizing in information overload mode becomes yet another mental excursion that demands attention. When you’re getting a serious amount of information from multiple sources that in your eyes seems to be relevant, your decision making process in terms of what to focus on is severely challenged.
• A staple in many of the books I’ve read states that it’s critical to ignore the unimportant. How many hours, maybe days mired in information overload goes to time spent debating what is, and what is not unimportant – a hard call as far as relevancy is concerned and a tough, time consuming balancing act for sure.
• Critical Point: When you’re immersed in a plethora of what you feel are credible viewpoints, are you able to still hold on to your own? I find with having a barrage of opinions from those that have earned my respect, if I’m not careful, my own viewpoint starts to fade, and that leads to imitation, not “personal” innovation.
• Speaking of opinions, the old adage is true – they’re a dime a dozen. And in the information age, they’ve become a dime a dozen times whatever. It becomes (and I fall to the word again) critical to keep a perspective on this in terms of keeping true to “your” message, “your” vision, whatever that may be, and not being unconsciously sidetracked by the pervasiveness of opinions.

The information age is a rare gift in many ways, but a sense of self-editing as far as time invested and relevancy pursuant to your goals is in my eyes mandatory for any type successful forward momentum, especially when you’re deep into constructing or enhancing your career.