Information Overdose Workarounds

Lalit A Patel

Methods

The invention of language enabled people to generate and transmit information by oral communication. This method had a drawback of corruption of information due to human errors.

The invention of paper enabled people to generate and preserve information by written communication. This method had a drawback of loss of information due to manuscript degradations.

The invention of press enabled people to generate and distribute information by mass communication. This method had a drawback of delay of information due to transportation times.

The invention of internet enabled people to generate and weave information by net communication. This method has a drawback of overdose of information due to cheap media.

Concerns

The drawback of corruption of information, in the oral communication, was taken care of by the invention of paper.

The drawback of loss of information, in the written communication, was taken care of by the invention of press.

The drawback of delay of information, in the mass communication, was taken care of the invention of internet.

The drawback of overdose of information, in the net communication, needs to be taken care of.

And this drawback needs to be taken care of fast, before the obnoxious smells from various information ponds become unbearable.

Workarounds

The drawback of overdose of information, in the net communication, can be taken care of nicely (but not completely), by developing and implementing the following two workarounds.

Nonlinear Storage

Presently, the information is stored linearly, in the sense that information-containing files are not compressed further automatically if they are not used.

In the suggested work-around, the information will be stored nonlinearly, in the sense that information-containing files will be compressed further automatically if they are not used.

Validity Agent

Presently, much of the information is generated and maintained without any attention to its validity. For example, Opportunity agent web sites post Opportunities by extracting information from other web sites without proper scrutiny and then maintain that information indefinitely even after the information becomes invalid.

In the suggested work-around, internet browsers will include a Validity Agent to detect and display the validity of information.