When I was a kid the flow of info and ideas was pretty limited. Our town library was pretty small, as was the library at school. We had a handful of TV and radio stations … and of course, no internet. The news was the hourly bulletins on the airwaves in the car on the way home from the shops or the evening news on the ABC while waiting for a much better show to come on. Our town only had a second hand bookshop – in an arcade near the Chinese takeaway (“One Honey Chicken and Special Fried Rice, please”) – but it was pretty hit and miss. Magazines filled a few gaps, but they were generally plodding along behind real time and not very up-to-the-minute.
Finding out about stuff was a bit of a mission, back then.
So then let’s jump to now. NOW there is SO MUCH information and media available to us … Misinformation, also. It’s no wonder we experienced the rise of the (much-maligned) influencer and a tribal enthusiasm/loyalty for particular media sources … Because how the heck are we meant to filter the good from the glut amidst the too-muchness of available information?
It’s unsurprising that many of us are scaling back our use of social media and access to other online sources …
As my middle kid said the other day “I can’t think of anything I’d like less than to post something online …”
So what I’m wondering is … are we better off with all this free-flowing discourse and choice? Or can we learn something from the simplicity of ye olden days of information gathering? Or is something in the middle the sweet spot?
What do you think, pals?
xx pip
It does feel overwhelming at times! It was all so fun connecting at times…until it wasn’t. I’ve culled my blog reader hard, and no longer have the app on my phone, but instead dip in from my computer when I am in a bloggish mood. Now if only I can train myself the same for instagram…
How did I not know you were originally from Canberra! Or did I forget.
I’m back in Canberra now after 15 years in Melbourne.
I am from everywhere! I was born in Tassie, moved to NW of WA when I was 9, on to Canberra when I was 15 and then on to Melbourne, then Tassie for a year during COVID and then back to Melbs again! Thanks so much for reading! (I went to Stirling College!)
xx
Wow! I can’t believe this either. I’m an ex Canberran now living in Melbourne for the past 15 years, and I also went to stirling college! I have been a fan of yours for many of my Melbourne years Pip and did not realise we had that in common.
The second hand bookshop in my town was also the tobacconist. There was a whole wall of Mills & Boon, another of science fiction and fantasy, and a few shelves of Penguin Classics. There were probably other genres, but I wasn’t interested in anything else – this started my love of second hand bookshops.
To this day, the Penguin Classics still smell of tobacco!
It is much, much better, dear. Humanity never had such a high standard, world peace and access to information and healthcare, female safety, etc. Kids these days can filter things out, they are born into the internet age. It’s us who struggle when the cat walked over our keyboard turning things off and on.
I took a long time to get a phone and in the end was bullied by school and certain authorities because I have kids in my care ( had an answering service) . Now I find myself on it and have to consciously not reach for it . I’ve started “ accidentally “ leaving it home . I don’t like how it’s intruded and conversations are rare. There was something off in the drs waiting room one day . Took a while to dawn . No phones . IT’s help when quick information like what if my kid drank cough medicine but not helping in other ways .
Oooooo I love this topic because anyone who knows me in real life or from reading my blog knows I struggle so bad with my phone & internet use & all that stuff.
I have been a news hound my whole life but a few weeks ago I deleted all the news apps from my phone & stopped reading & listening to the news. And guess what? I don’t feel like I’ve missed a thing! Am I being silly or ignorant by stepping away from all the stories? I don’t know but I do feel less frazzled.
I rejoined Insta after a 12 month break but don’t post anything anymore. Instead, I’ve curated my feed to show me things I want to see- cooking videos, people who have something to say that I’m interested in hearing & that’s pretty much it. It’s not a big amount of people so I don’t feel overwhelmed at the amount of information. And to be honest, some is not even information, it’s just funny videos or woman looking cute in dresses & cardis.
I subscribe to newsletter & blogs written by people who are engaging. And again, these are mostly food orientated because I find that stuff calming & enjoyable.
I found that I get overwhelmed by feeling I need to be across all the things or engage with all the people. I’ve also figured out that sharing myself on the socials also doesn’t feel good anymore because again, I have to engage too much. My blog is read by 5 people & I like talking to them in the comments. It’s easy & uncomplicated.
I guess I have chosen to seek out information I want & have it delivered to me in a way that feels manageable. I can’t deal with the bombardment of information any more, the hast at which it comes & the relentlessness of it all. I read/look/listen to what I want, when I want. Everything else is just not for me.
P.S I am SO happy to see you here. I hope you are doing ok & being cared for. Miss you xxx
What a lovely surprise to have some of your always highly readable words appear in my inbox Pip. Such a treat.
Long story, but last night I was reading an article about the 40th anniversary of the release of New Order’s Blue Monday. I remember so clearly the release of that song, it was so popular. But I was 17, which made me think did it really take 18 months to 2 years to get a foothold in Australia. Music travelled so much slower back then. NME was 3 months old before it arrived in the shops. Then once you read about a cool new band or a song you had to wait months to hear it, either on the radio or buying a record when it finally reached our shores. Unthinkable now.
Did that make it all the more enjoyable? I wonder. Maybe. To return to your question, I’m utterly overwhelmed with all this information. It’s so tiring. And it feels like mostly junk, a quick dopamine hit that’s in one ear then forgotten to make room for the next bit of fluff. I like the idea of simplifying information gathering, and your idea of sweet spot in the middle, but how? Switching off and going outside works for me. More of that.
I know we can’t go back, the genie is out. But maybe we are swinging back toward a middle ground of something that is more manageable for our human brains. Or maybe not, perhaps that’s just my own wishful thinking. I know my brain is almost fried from info overload, I don’t even allow myself the time to process any new info before i’m off searching for the next thing. At the same time my life is becoming sadder, lonelier and much less satisfying, hmmm maybe a lesson right there for me.
I wonder how others will respond.
And can i say how wonderful it is to see you back in this space Pip.
cheers Kate