Information Overload

As I am typing this, I am on the internet. Not only am I on the internet, but I'm on several different windows. My iTunes is currently playing Jesus Culture, my Amazon account is tracking my latest order, and of course my Facebook is open for any spur-of-the-moment creeping. It's amazing how many things I can do at once when I am linked to a computer screen; the opportunities are truly endless. This is the digital age that I was born and raised in!

Growing up in the 1990's, technology was constantly changing and becoming more necessary in everyday tasks. I still remember when my parents got their first cell phones; I was 10. Just four years later, I got my first cell phone. If that tells you anything, it should be that technology moves faster than we ever expected. As technology continues to move at the speed of light, media becomes more and more prominent in our lives. Whereas we used to read the newspaper to catch up on current events, we now open our web browser to Yahoo! and glance over a couple of headlines to fulfill our information fix. Just a few clicks of a track pad and we are bombarded with more information than the entire newspapers from the past week could provide.

Historically, the Industrial Age is long gone. However, take a look at our society over the past 50 years and you will see that there has still been a substantial amount of change regarding how information is passed from source to source. I remember watching re-runs of Leave It To Beaver, which premiered in 1957, and seeing Mr. Cleaver sit down and read the newspaper. This was commonplace in the Cleaver household, and in almost every American household at the time of the airing. Moving to today, we see a drastic change in the way that information is shared. As I mentioned earlier, news stories have begun to be shared much more commonly over the internet instead of newspapers or televisions, even. Who really has time to sit down and watch the news for an hour each night? At least in my family, it is very uncommon.

Individuals are presented with so much more information today than they were in the past, and their ability to read and respond to this information is incredible. Whether it be through Twitter, Facebook, or Blogger, anyone and everyone can voice their opinion. Whereas we might have been passive consumers in the past, we are now active participants in every news story that we read simply because of a "hit" count. As media becomes more accessible, people become more involved. With just the click of a button, news stories from years ago can be found. Although this digital age can be overwhelming, it can also be beneficial. People who used to not be engaged are now intently participating in the media that is presented to them. The digital age that we are in is encouraging our generation to step off the sidelines and onto the field. Play ball.