The Ideal Information Diet

In the video above, I go over what Clay Johnson describes as the ideal information diet. Since this video was somewhat limited by time constraints, I feel that I could spend a bit more time going over specific elements of the diet that I wasn't able to cover as much as I could have in just five minutes.

Raw information is the primary kind of knowledge that is best for a person. In recent times, it can be difficult for one to find this specific type of information as almost every place we go for our news is looking less to sell the actual information, rather choosing to sell their spin on the story to appeal to a certain demographic and keep that audience invested in their work. A good way to avoid this is to go with sources you know can be trusted. A good example of this is the Associated Press. They are a news outlet that works to sell stories to other news outlets rather than to consumers. In fact, they're actually a non-profit organization, meaning that they aren't seeking to profit off of consumers, making them a reliable source for worldwide current events. A regularly updating Twitter feed assists with making them useful in finding raw information.

It may seem odd that social information, namely the use of social networks should take up as much in an information diet as it does, but I think I can tell why. It has something to do with how we see much of social media as kind of an entertainment, which could push it into that specific category, but the focus should be more on how we use social media as a tool for interaction. Watkins says in "The Young and the Digital" how important we value social media as a tool of interaction with others. He says, "Asking young people to disconnect even momentarily from the vast swirl of content and comrades they engage throughout the day generates anxiety, discomfort, and cultural alienation" (185). Basically, we value social networks as a tool for human interaction, and eliminating that in your information diet won't help one become more mentally fit, but will rather isolate you and lead to a further anxiety, distracting one from the overall goal.

Watkins, S. C. (2009). 'May I have your attention?' The consequences of anytime, anywhere technology. The young and the digital: what the migration to social-network sites, games, and anytime, anywhere media means for our future(pp. 171-191). Boston: Beacon Press.

Image taken from Wikipedia [link]