On the Perils of the Information Age

Today we find ourselves faced at every turn with a vast quantity of information of every kind. Wherever we go, information tries to cram its way into our tiny minds. Flashing signs as we drive down the road advertise various local businesses. Newspapers delivered daily to our houses contain thousands of words each. Each night we go home and watch hours of television, most of which deals with fictional characters' lives. Everyone is more connected to the rest of the world, as most of us carry cellular telephones or even wireless personal digital assisstants. And of course the Internet is becoming more accessible every day, with more and more families investing in personal computers and rapid broadband connections. Any informed observer must ask himself whether all this information is educating us or overloading us. A detailed investigation into this question yields the result that both can be true, depending on the circumstances.

The difference lies in what information a given individual decides to absorb. It is imperative that one pay attention only to the information that concerns one directly. If we begin to concern ourselves with things that do not have an immediate impact upon our lives, we will run into varying problems. It hearkens back to the old admonition abbreviated MYOB, mind your own business. When we begin to involve ourselves in things that do not concern us, the gears of society creak to a halt. Allow me to refer you to the Star Trek Voyager episode "The Voyager Conspiracy," in which Seven of Nine finds a way to download information from the ship's computer while she is sleeping, allowing her to absorb the huge quantity of information contained therein. She immediately begins to form paranoid conspiracy theories, implicating first the captain, then the first officer, in conspiracies against each other. Eventually the information drives her crazy. Although fictitious, this episode holds true lessons in today's society. As we gain more and more information, we will begin to lose control of ourselves. While Seven's paranoia was caused by a mechanical malfunction within her cybernetic body, we might be subject to the same kinds of problems.

That said, there are certain things in which we must still take an active interest, although they may not appear to have immediate impacts upon our lives. These are the things which deal with the running of the government. It is a citizen's social responsibility to be informed about the government's doings, in order to keep it running for the greatest good of the people it serves.

However, many of our media give the average Joe the opportunity to become an "expert" in any field of knowledge simply by reading a few informational websites or "for Dummies" books. While this can be enriching for an individual, he must not consider himself an expert simply because of his research. An book or internet page cannot take the place of the years of school necessary to develop a working summa in an area of knowledge.

This does not mean, however, that we should not inform ourselves about others' professions. I am only saying that, having done so, we still shouldn't be given the authority to second-guess their professional assessments. There is one necessary exception, however, to this rule. When our health or the health of our loved ones is involved, we must not confine our trust to one doctor. While it is preferable to get a second opinion by another medical professional whenever possible, sometimes we must fall back upon our own medical research online or wherever. There exist too many horror stories of people who trusted their doctor to give them the best treatment possible and ended up worse off than if they had been a little cautious and questioning.

In general, however, the practice of MYOB works superbly in describing how we should approach professionals doing their jobs. Otherwise, we will inevitably end up with everyone second-guessing each other enough that no real work ever truly gets done. And that, my friend, would be an utter travesty.