Overcome information overload by tuning the signal to noise ratio
Two weeks ago I talked about information overload and suggested a model to explain it: The model shows two drivers of information overload: The sheer volume of information hitting you. The narrowing of your “processing funnel” due to the fatigue caused by having to deal with this information. In other words, a vicious circle starts […]
The dynamic at the heart of information overload
This is the fourth part in a series on how technology “hijacks our minds” (to quote Google’s Tristan Harris). You can read part one of the series here. The last three blogs have looked at: How dopamine acts on our brains every time we get a Facebook like or an email update the same way […]
How to stay focused by stopping self-interruptions
This is the third part in a series on how technology “hijacks our minds” (to quote Google’s Tristan Harris). You can read part one of the series here. The last two blog posts have focused on how technology can distract and interrupt us. We’ve looked at two key mechanisms: The strong reinforcing effects from social media […]
We live in an “ecosystem of interruption technologies”
This is the second part in a series on how technology “hijacks our minds” (to quote Google’s Tristan Harris). You can read part one of the series here. Nicholas Carr, in his fantastic 2010 book The Shallows, describes turning on a computer today as plunging into an “ecosystem of interruption technologies” (p91). Today’s co
Why we adore the technologies that undo our capacities to think
A client sent me a great article this week on how technology is intentionally designed to capture our attention, interrupt our work, and consume our time. The article is by Tristan Harris, a Google “Design Ethics and Product Philosopher” (whatever the heck that job is, I mean, really…). Anyway, the article served to crystallise a […]