Thursday, March 10, 2011

Information Overload

I just read a great article in Newsweek about the toll that a constant stream of information can take on decision making and creativity. The story is here and explains more about "information fatigue" of which I am greatly afflicted. I have been trying to embrace technology because I read a different article that said that a person's 'true age' was measured by how well they embraced technology. I'm already concealing wrinkles and fighting an uphill battle with belly fat, so I thought I could at least take some years off of my true age with some technology embracing. But now I'm finding out that sleeping with one eye open to read Twitter is actually killing the creative part of my brain. I might have to kiss my dreams of a forever-young true age good-bye. (I'm such a non-tech embrace-er that I'm not even sure how to credit this link properly, but as I said the article is in Newsweek, and the article says that the illustrations are by Matt Mahurin)

9 comments:

  1. the "information fatigue" thing makes sense!

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  2. maybe you should fast from technology for Lent. except your blog, of course;)

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  3. I believe anything in overkill (especially technology) stunts creativity and thought...but sometimes technology can help to inspire creativity also...one just has to know their limits, and it sounds like you do.
    xo J~

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  4. Would it be weird if tweeted or linked to this? :) I'm feeling the same thing... have been trying to write for weeks/months now and feel like my brain is on information overload without any space to actually think, process, create... so I'm doing what Krissi above is doing: taking a break of social media for Lent. Two days in and I'm feeling the clouds part a bit.

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  5. Girl, just let your true age be your true age. You've learned every last wrinkle. You're a mama, which your belly should reflect (contrary to popular myth that we all can and should look like 15 year olds forever). Yes, yes, I'm for healthy eating and exercise as good stewards of this gift we've been given of a physical body. But our culture takes it too far - we worship Youth instead of God. As a version of proclaiming the truth (which points to Truth that sets us free), let your body say "I am a mom, wife, singer-songwriter living in Minnesota...I love to be with friends and family, read, run, and converse...My off-line life is full, my on-line life anemic..." I hear in your music that your hope is not in being forever 21, but in being forever The Lord's. Be free to be your true age!

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  6. Thanks for the link to the article. I've been really convicted of spending too much time on FB recently and decided to take a break until Easter. Already, I've been singing more and my pace has slowed down.

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  7. Thanks for the refreshing post about anemic online life. I am a mom and photography business owner in WI. I'm often overwhelmed by how other creative business people seem to have so much time to post post post. I think it is important to some extent but to interact in person is so much better.
    However on one of my rare posts, today
    I had to share a link to your song "You are the Sun" with friends after today's Gospel reading of the Transfiguration at Mass. It is fitting.

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  8. I'm in my late 50's. I don't know how technology or the internet work, but I program and run cnc lathes, I have a blog on violin making, and this year I started an online daily devotional that I haven't written. I write 1-3 days worth at a time and as of today I'm two weeks ahead. I just started being in touch with my spirit a few years ago. My daughter found out I was listening to Christian music and gave me 2 of your cd's to put on my mp3 player(more technology). I started writing music. Written more than 12 so far. The word part is easiest, even though I love music I'm not a musician.

    I wondered why God wanted me to write a blog. Wasn't my idea. The songs weren't either, but why a devotional? I love Christ, but I'm not religious. Then I heard your Invisible Empire song clip on the bonus disc, and I realized I was reaching out to an invisible empire on the internet. I only have 5-12 views/day so far, but they are from all over. Russia, Cambodia, United Arab Emmerits, Columbia. God told me to do it and he'd get the people to read it (sounds like a movie doesn't it?). Now I realize maybe it's not as crazy as I thought.

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