A Guide for the Overwhelmed, Part 2 – It's a river, not a reservoir
Blogs. Wikis. Podcasts. Social Networks. Social bookmarking. Photo sharing. Video sharing. Presentation sharing. Collaborative creation. RSS aggregation. Photo editing. Video editing. Word Processors. Spreadsheets. Mind mapping.
You might feel overwhelmed by the glut of online applications, services and technologies that are available. This sensation is not diminished when colleagues come in and tell you “Oh – you need to try this new thing on the web called …”. A frequent reaction is for the eyes to glaze over and stare silently into the distance like a deer stuck in headlights. Perhaps that deer feels like you do – an uneasy feeling that you are about to be hit by something moving with enough velocity to do you grievous harm.
I’m occasionally prone to a similar feeling. As I write this, I realize that I am severely behind reading the items that are collecting in Google Reader. When it says “1000+” instead of giving the actual number of items, you know you are way behind. The thought of catching up on all those posts is daunting enough that I find many ways to avoid doing it. I’ve always had a flair for procrastination so this comes naturally to me. For others it might take some practice.
But there is no reason to feel that way. I think what we need when people get started exploring the read-write web (calling everything “two point oh” is soooo 2007) is a guide with two words on the cover written in large, friendly letters – “Don’t Panic!” Breathe. Relax. Think of a calm blue sky. Let all that tension just drain away from your body. You will not be hit. You will not endure grievous harm. All you need is a new perspective on these things. I think Alec was the one who first used the expression “it’s a river, not a reservoir” in my presence. It is a useful homily to keep perspective of the information overload.
One of the greatest and most depressing moments of enlightenment that ever dropped itself on me was the realization that I was not going to learn everything I wanted to learn in my lifetime. I was not going to do all the things I wanted to do. At first, this realization made me kind of angry. I felt like I had a right to know everything I wanted and do everything I wanted to do. Later on, I realized it was actually quite liberating once I accepted this epiphany. If I can’t possibly know everything, then I don’t need to feel upset or anxious if I don’t know something. Omniscience is not possible for any single human being. Collectively, as a species, we know many amazing things and I am quite grateful that I am able to stand on the shoulders of giants and draw upon the expertise of others as I need to. I don’t know very much about fixing my car, but I know someone who does; all I need to do is ask him to fix it (and promise to give him money) and he will. I get the benefit of his knowledge, but I don’t have to know it myself. That is the bottom line of connectivism, at least to my understanding of it.
So here’s my solution to the Google Reader problem. I’m going to go through each of the feeds and click on the link that says “Mark all as read”. I might keep some of the feeds unread if they are from writers that I enjoy reading, but most of them will be given a clean slate. I don’t feel anxious about doing this because I know that I don’t need to (and can’t) know everything. If there’s some information that is out there that I need to know, I can usually find it using Google or Twitter. Information is a river, not a reservoir. I don’t need to worry about collecting and hoarding it because I might need it someday. With a river, I can go to it as often as possible and take what I need. This kind of view creates an interesting perspective on those who would dam up the river and prevent those downstream from getting a fair share.
I take the same view with all the online applications available. The number and diversity of applications are increasing far faster than I am able to learn about them, let alone mastering them. But that’s not a problem. I can go to the river and get what I need. I’ve developed a trusted network of people who know about these sorts of things, and if I ask them to share their expertise they do so cheerfully. The currency exchanged in this case is not money but a willingness on my part to contribute back to those who ask within my areas of expertise or experience. On my own, I’m not going to learn about most web applications, but I’m not anxious about that. I’ll make use of the ones that I know about and feel comfortable using. I’ll learn about others incidentally or by asking others. It isn’t necessary to stand on the shoulders of giants if I meet them at the river.
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Information as water is a favorite metaphor of mine, which I first remember hearing voiced by Stephen Downes in his metaphor of information as household water– we don’t rush around trying to capture everything from the tap and hoard it in jars, we just turn it on when we need it.
One direction I’ve taken the idea is here
Chris L - 2008/02/20 at 01:35
Information as water is a favorite metaphor of mine, which I first remember hearing voiced by Stephen Downes in his metaphor of information as household water– we don’t rush around trying to capture everything from the tap and hoard it in jars, we just turn it on when we need it.
One direction I’ve taken the idea is here
Chris L - 2008/02/20 at 01:35
I’m a huge fan of using metaphors and this one is perfect!
I have been at 1000+ on my Google Reader for over a week now. I’m going to ‘Mark all as read’ soon, but can’t get myself to do it yet. You see, that precious network you speak of is so valuable that those in it that have ‘Shared’ on Google Reader (My Friend’s Shared Items) are not easy to let float by. I’ve started calling the shared items my Uber-Feed since they are now the feeds I go to first, above and beyond my regular feeds.
After I catch up there, then I will mark all as read. Chances are if my network hasn’t chosen to share it, and it doesn’t ‘stream’ on Twitter, then I’ll have to accept that missing it was ok… the river will bring more to me soon enough:-)
David Truss - 2008/02/20 at 01:49
I’m a huge fan of using metaphors and this one is perfect!
I have been at 1000+ on my Google Reader for over a week now. I’m going to ‘Mark all as read’ soon, but can’t get myself to do it yet. You see, that precious network you speak of is so valuable that those in it that have ‘Shared’ on Google Reader (My Friend’s Shared Items) are not easy to let float by. I’ve started calling the shared items my Uber-Feed since they are now the feeds I go to first, above and beyond my regular feeds.
After I catch up there, then I will mark all as read. Chances are if my network hasn’t chosen to share it, and it doesn’t ‘stream’ on Twitter, then I’ll have to accept that missing it was ok… the river will bring more to me soon enough:-)
David Truss - 2008/02/20 at 01:49
Good post! I think it is especially overwhelming for newcomers who see some of us gabbing away on Twitter and sharing links at the same time. I had an instructor in my office yesterday and was showing her how I use Google Reader to keep up with blogs. She thought it was pretty neat until she saw there were several hundred unread items. I showed her how I scan the headlines, click on a few and then “mark as read.” We were looking for a math solution, so I just did a search in reader and she was impressed with what we were able to find. Just like you say, I explained that it wasn’t that big a deal if I didn’t get to everything. I just jumped on Twitter and asked a question. It’s the best way to find things without having to look!
Jen - 2008/02/20 at 08:03
Good post! I think it is especially overwhelming for newcomers who see some of us gabbing away on Twitter and sharing links at the same time. I had an instructor in my office yesterday and was showing her how I use Google Reader to keep up with blogs. She thought it was pretty neat until she saw there were several hundred unread items. I showed her how I scan the headlines, click on a few and then “mark as read.” We were looking for a math solution, so I just did a search in reader and she was impressed with what we were able to find. Just like you say, I explained that it wasn’t that big a deal if I didn’t get to everything. I just jumped on Twitter and asked a question. It’s the best way to find things without having to look!
Jen - 2008/02/20 at 08:03
Rob – I still have a teacher-librarian mentality – I want to hoard. I remember when information was scarce! My ‘keep new’ list is larger than my unread and my delicious bookmarks grows and grows. But I do agree with you – information/tools/applications are no longer scarce plus they change and disappear quickly. It is becoming increasing necessary to rely on our networks… oh no… what kind of information literacy skills do our students now need to get the information they need when they need it!?
Donna DesRoches - 2008/02/20 at 09:21
Rob – I still have a teacher-librarian mentality – I want to hoard. I remember when information was scarce! My ‘keep new’ list is larger than my unread and my delicious bookmarks grows and grows. But I do agree with you – information/tools/applications are no longer scarce plus they change and disappear quickly. It is becoming increasing necessary to rely on our networks… oh no… what kind of information literacy skills do our students now need to get the information they need when they need it!?
Donna DesRoches - 2008/02/20 at 09:21
I’ve been thinking about and using a quote for Marshall McLuhan: “Information Overload leads to Pattern Recognition” (paraphrased and unsourceable but I think it’s McLuhan)…..Any way, I think it’s important. Finding patterns and then digging deeper into specific, personalized information.
I’ll end with another McLuhan quote. This one from a 1961 Playboy interview:
“Another basic problem is that in our schools there is simply too much to learn by the traditional analytic methods; this is an age of information overload. The only way to make the schools other than prisons without bars is to start fresh with new techniques and values.”
Dean Shareski - 2008/02/20 at 09:26
I’ve been thinking about and using a quote for Marshall McLuhan: “Information Overload leads to Pattern Recognition” (paraphrased and unsourceable but I think it’s McLuhan)…..Any way, I think it’s important. Finding patterns and then digging deeper into specific, personalized information.
I’ll end with another McLuhan quote. This one from a 1961 Playboy interview:
“Another basic problem is that in our schools there is simply too much to learn by the traditional analytic methods; this is an age of information overload. The only way to make the schools other than prisons without bars is to start fresh with new techniques and values.”
Dean Shareski - 2008/02/20 at 09:26
Thanks for some great and thought provoking comments. Here are some specific responses, but there is some overlap in these ideas. Sorry if I end up repeating myself.
@Chris It might have been Stephen Downes from whom I first heard the expression. I just assumed it was Alec because we have had several conversations around this topic. I like your advice about keeping your network tuned instead of absorbing everything. What I need does indeed find its way to me through the relationships I have with others in my immediate network.
@David I agree with you about the importance of My Friends Shared Items in Google Reader. That is one set of feeds that never gets too far behind because it is one of my best sources of high quality information along with with my delicious network. I don’t tend to ‘Mark all as read’ across my entire set of feeds, but I will go to certain feeds or folders and mark all as read if there are no interesting post titles.
@Jen Exactly – the information is out there if I really need it. Most of the time, I don’t need to have it available for my instant recall. What is critical is that I have the means to find and collect the information when I need it.
@Donna I don’t think that having your feet in both sides of this perspective on information is a bad thing. There are times when information concentrating (I’ll call it concentrating instead of hoarding) is valuable. That’s why we need good research skills – definitely an important skill that is taught by teacher librarians. The distinction is that we’re not looking for sustenance in an information desert, but finding what we need in a jungle. What kind of skills can we teach? I don’t know all of the possible skills we could teach but I think that at some point they need to learn how to build a network of trusted sources of information.
@Dean Well if that first quotation isn’t McLuhan, it ought to be. I’ll extend that idea with yet another analogy. In our visual cortex there are groups of neurons that recognize patterns in the visual field – lines, circles, corners, etc. The recognition of a pattern is performed by the neural network, not by any individual neuron. The tools that we use – RSS readers and Twitter, for example – are ways of connecting as a cognitive network that can recognize information patterns.
Rob - 2008/02/20 at 10:30
Thanks for some great and thought provoking comments. Here are some specific responses, but there is some overlap in these ideas. Sorry if I end up repeating myself.
@Chris It might have been Stephen Downes from whom I first heard the expression. I just assumed it was Alec because we have had several conversations around this topic. I like your advice about keeping your network tuned instead of absorbing everything. What I need does indeed find its way to me through the relationships I have with others in my immediate network.
@David I agree with you about the importance of My Friends Shared Items in Google Reader. That is one set of feeds that never gets too far behind because it is one of my best sources of high quality information along with with my delicious network. I don’t tend to ‘Mark all as read’ across my entire set of feeds, but I will go to certain feeds or folders and mark all as read if there are no interesting post titles.
@Jen Exactly – the information is out there if I really need it. Most of the time, I don’t need to have it available for my instant recall. What is critical is that I have the means to find and collect the information when I need it.
@Donna I don’t think that having your feet in both sides of this perspective on information is a bad thing. There are times when information concentrating (I’ll call it concentrating instead of hoarding) is valuable. That’s why we need good research skills – definitely an important skill that is taught by teacher librarians. The distinction is that we’re not looking for sustenance in an information desert, but finding what we need in a jungle. What kind of skills can we teach? I don’t know all of the possible skills we could teach but I think that at some point they need to learn how to build a network of trusted sources of information.
@Dean Well if that first quotation isn’t McLuhan, it ought to be. I’ll extend that idea with yet another analogy. In our visual cortex there are groups of neurons that recognize patterns in the visual field – lines, circles, corners, etc. The recognition of a pattern is performed by the neural network, not by any individual neuron. The tools that we use – RSS readers and Twitter, for example – are ways of connecting as a cognitive network that can recognize information patterns.
Rob - 2008/02/20 at 10:30
Good post Rob. You have again captured something I have been thinking about lately. I try to follow too much and it really wears a guy down. I have started narrowing my focus and getting to know my primary sources of info better. My G-reader is 1000+ and it is time to go through and “mark as read”.
It is easy to get overwhelmed and attempt to sponge up every bit, this is not a healthy approach. Due to time constraints we must analyze our online activity. We need to find solutions that keep us efficient and connected to the new tools and information. I think this comes with practice and reflection.
Kyle Lichtenwald - 2008/02/20 at 19:52
Good post Rob. You have again captured something I have been thinking about lately. I try to follow too much and it really wears a guy down. I have started narrowing my focus and getting to know my primary sources of info better. My G-reader is 1000+ and it is time to go through and “mark as read”.
It is easy to get overwhelmed and attempt to sponge up every bit, this is not a healthy approach. Due to time constraints we must analyze our online activity. We need to find solutions that keep us efficient and connected to the new tools and information. I think this comes with practice and reflection.
Kyle Lichtenwald - 2008/02/20 at 19:52
Rob,
This is a regular problem I face as an infovore. Sometimes I wish I had the reading speed of that roobot in the “Short Circuit” movie.
I have come to accept it. I read a bit, blog a bit, talk about it and feel happy when all the information trigger a few ideas.
Dorai Thodla - 2008/02/20 at 22:00
Rob,
This is a regular problem I face as an infovore. Sometimes I wish I had the reading speed of that roobot in the “Short Circuit” movie.
I have come to accept it. I read a bit, blog a bit, talk about it and feel happy when all the information trigger a few ideas.
Dorai Thodla - 2008/02/20 at 22:00
[...] Blogs, information overload, podcasts, Wikis “It is a river, not a reservoir” from A guide to the overwhelmed: Part-II. Rob articulates what most of us feel, so well. One of the greatest and most depressing moments of [...]
It is a River… « Dorai’s LearnLog - 2008/02/20 at 22:03
[...] Blogs, information overload, podcasts, Wikis “It is a river, not a reservoir” from A guide to the overwhelmed: Part-II. Rob articulates what most of us feel, so well. One of the greatest and most depressing moments of [...]
It is a River… « Dorai’s LearnLog - 2008/02/20 at 22:03
Ahhh… I feel so much better since I gave up hope! An excellent metaphor. Thanks!
Corrie Bergeron - 2008/02/21 at 16:27
Ahhh… I feel so much better since I gave up hope! An excellent metaphor. Thanks!
Corrie Bergeron - 2008/02/21 at 16:27
It was Stephen Downes’s mention of this post that brought me here, and I’m glad it did. You point out what ought to be an obvious truth, but I know that for myself, the fact that it’s obvious doesn’t mean I’m able to perceive the obvious.
Steven Wright said, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” And like you I’ve hit “mark all read” many times in my reader.
I see a companion to the information-as-river metaphor, which I like. That companion is recognizing that I have to explore the river. I tend to limit myself a bit in terms of what I read online. I find, though, that if I do two things, I find out more and learn more. The two things are to follow links past one or two hops — so I find things I wouldn’t have otherwise (e.g., the original post, instead of someone’s referring to someone’s summary of a post), and to reflect on what I’ve found.
You can’t learn what you don’t encounter.
Dave Ferguson - 2008/02/22 at 07:16
It was Stephen Downes’s mention of this post that brought me here, and I’m glad it did. You point out what ought to be an obvious truth, but I know that for myself, the fact that it’s obvious doesn’t mean I’m able to perceive the obvious.
Steven Wright said, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” And like you I’ve hit “mark all read” many times in my reader.
I see a companion to the information-as-river metaphor, which I like. That companion is recognizing that I have to explore the river. I tend to limit myself a bit in terms of what I read online. I find, though, that if I do two things, I find out more and learn more. The two things are to follow links past one or two hops — so I find things I wouldn’t have otherwise (e.g., the original post, instead of someone’s referring to someone’s summary of a post), and to reflect on what I’ve found.
You can’t learn what you don’t encounter.
Dave Ferguson - 2008/02/22 at 07:16
I would like to extend the metaphor. You wanted to be a dam for part of that river. Now you realize you can just go to it and fish. But you are much more adept than we novices. You have fishing buddies, knowledge of baits, big nets and fish finders.
I need to get rid of this spear.
Shaun Loeppky - 2008/02/24 at 23:48
I would like to extend the metaphor. You wanted to be a dam for part of that river. Now you realize you can just go to it and fish. But you are much more adept than we novices. You have fishing buddies, knowledge of baits, big nets and fish finders.
I need to get rid of this spear.
Shaun Loeppky - 2008/02/24 at 23:48
Kyle, Dorai, Corrie, Dave and Shaun – thank you for adding to the conversation.
In a sense, Corrie, I have given up hope – the hope of knowing everything. Can’t happen, ain’t gonna happen, so I might as well not get twisted up about it. I just need to decide what my most useful sources of information are at any particular time. I think you put it perfectly, Dorai, when you said “I read a bit, blog a bit, talk about it and feel happy when all the information trigger a few ideas” – if knowing everything is an impossibility, then finding a sort of happiness amidst this ocean of information is a more realistic goal.
Dave – you can never go wrong by quoting Stephen Wright (pun not intended). Thanks for extending the metaphor.
Shaun – Keep the spear. You can still catch fish with it. And there might be others who are more adept but it’s not a contest. Take what you can from the resources, but instead of thinking of getting as much as you can, think about getting as much as you need or as much as you want. It’s much more important to know where the river is rather than how to get the maximum productivity from it.
Rob - 2008/02/26 at 16:26
Kyle, Dorai, Corrie, Dave and Shaun – thank you for adding to the conversation.
In a sense, Corrie, I have given up hope – the hope of knowing everything. Can’t happen, ain’t gonna happen, so I might as well not get twisted up about it. I just need to decide what my most useful sources of information are at any particular time. I think you put it perfectly, Dorai, when you said “I read a bit, blog a bit, talk about it and feel happy when all the information trigger a few ideas” – if knowing everything is an impossibility, then finding a sort of happiness amidst this ocean of information is a more realistic goal.
Dave – you can never go wrong by quoting Stephen Wright (pun not intended). Thanks for extending the metaphor.
Shaun – Keep the spear. You can still catch fish with it. And there might be others who are more adept but it’s not a contest. Take what you can from the resources, but instead of thinking of getting as much as you can, think about getting as much as you need or as much as you want. It’s much more important to know where the river is rather than how to get the maximum productivity from it.
Rob - 2008/02/26 at 16:26
I love that metaphor. “It’s a river, not a reservoir.” These could be words to live by, especially in times of such information overload. This will likely prove to be a great lesson to learn early on, for somebody like myself who is just beginning to build a network. It sounds like such an obvious concept. I think that we know that we can’t know everything, yet somehow its something that is difficult to let go of. You’ve created quite a thought-provoking post here, as is quite evident by the quality feedback you’ve recieved.
Ryan - 2008/02/27 at 16:11
I love that metaphor. “It’s a river, not a reservoir.” These could be words to live by, especially in times of such information overload. This will likely prove to be a great lesson to learn early on, for somebody like myself who is just beginning to build a network. It sounds like such an obvious concept. I think that we know that we can’t know everything, yet somehow its something that is difficult to let go of. You’ve created quite a thought-provoking post here, as is quite evident by the quality feedback you’ve recieved.
Ryan - 2008/02/27 at 16:11
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Dave’s Whiteboard » Blog Archive » Think and do? - 2008/03/19 at 13:55
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Dave’s Whiteboard » Blog Archive » Think and do? - 2008/03/19 at 13:55
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Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech » Blog Archive » Go ahead, mark this as read - 2008/04/04 at 00:21
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Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech » Blog Archive » Go ahead, mark this as read - 2008/04/04 at 00:21
Rob
Perfect timing! I was just reading this post as I was waiting for a group of grade 6s and their parents who are touring the school prior to coming here next fall. The students were excited to see the computers, but I sensed that some parents would rather have been watching the hockey playoffs at home. I was able to make a clear connection to their understanding of technology by referring to the river metaphor. Heads began to nod and interest picked up as they realized that their children are going to have so many opportunities to experience technology, not only now but well into their futures. I’m guessing, but I think that part of the nodding was a relief that their children were going to receive some guidance in their technological journey.
James Herrick - 2008/04/29 at 20:02
Rob
Perfect timing! I was just reading this post as I was waiting for a group of grade 6s and their parents who are touring the school prior to coming here next fall. The students were excited to see the computers, but I sensed that some parents would rather have been watching the hockey playoffs at home. I was able to make a clear connection to their understanding of technology by referring to the river metaphor. Heads began to nod and interest picked up as they realized that their children are going to have so many opportunities to experience technology, not only now but well into their futures. I’m guessing, but I think that part of the nodding was a relief that their children were going to receive some guidance in their technological journey.
James Herrick - 2008/04/29 at 20:02
James, I’m glad you were able to make good use of the metaphor. Although I’m pretty sure I got it from elsewhere, I think it’s a good one to pass along to others. Parents, in my experience, are often completely overwhelmed by “all that computer stuff”. It sounds like you did a good job of helping them to get past the initial fear to a feeling that they be comfortable without being an expert.
Rob - 2008/04/29 at 22:59
James, I’m glad you were able to make good use of the metaphor. Although I’m pretty sure I got it from elsewhere, I think it’s a good one to pass along to others. Parents, in my experience, are often completely overwhelmed by “all that computer stuff”. It sounds like you did a good job of helping them to get past the initial fear to a feeling that they be comfortable without being an expert.
Rob - 2008/04/29 at 22:59
[...] written before about the needless feeling of panic for not keeping up with all the stuff to read online. I think the same goes with the sense of needing to blog. It’s getting harder to find reasons [...]
Open Monologue » A guide for the overwhelmed part 3 - blogging is dead, long live the blog - 2009/02/24 at 11:03
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