photo by cikaga jamie
Every time I open my laptop, I’m nearly toppled over by a deluge of words, images, sound bites, and links surging toward me. Dodging relentless make-millions-online websites and pop-ups screaming from the front pages of blogs, I valiantly fight my way to the pearls of wisdom hidden in the sludge.
OK, that’s a slightly exaggerated chronicle of my exposure to the internet — it isn’t really that brutal or epic. But if you hang around Facebook, the vast universe of blogging, or Twitter, you’ve surely encountered the risk of overwhelm.
As Matthew Dryden pointed out in a comment on my last post: “I consume a lot of useless information accidentally.”
In our conversation last week about creation and consumption, there was strong agreement on the omnipresence of consumption in our societies — consumption of stuff and of information. Many people have noticed small waves moving toward simplification and anti-consumerism, but these waves certainly haven’t gained enough momentum to truly challenge the consumer culture.
I would go so far as to say that consumerism is now a nonconscious ideology: a system of ideas that is so deeply engrained in our society that we no longer notice how deep it runs, and we take it as an assumption.
“A society’s ability to inculcate this kind of ideology into its citizens is the most subtle and most profound form of social influence. It is also the most difficult kind of social influence to challenge because it remains invisible.”
Sandra L. Bem and Daryl J. Bem in their 1970 article “Case study of a nonconscious ideology: Training the woman to know her place”
This means that even when we start to rebel against consumerism, the system is so firmly planted in our minds as a norm that only the most extreme rebellion truly threatens it. We are no longer choosing to consume instead of producing — we’re just used to it. Consumption becomes accidental. The ability to consume stops being a luxury when we are no longer choosing to do so.
But let me pause. I don’t intend to unleash a diatribe on consumption in general. I won’t tell you that I abhor all consumption and I buy nothing that isn’t necessary for my survival, because that would be a big, fat lie. Although I generally don’t get attached to things, there are certain things that I drink in pretty readily: books, slightly geeky tech things, articles, and scarves.
But I don’t aim to stop consuming information, or to stop buying these things. I believe that we need to strive for balance in order to make the most of the potential value mixed in with all the crap.
To counter extreme consumerism, we need to start making choices again. We need to learn how to filter — how to choose what we will consume, and what we will not.
When we’re not creating or doing, are we defined simply by what we consume?
Urban Panther told us last week in the comments that she chooses not to read the news, to avoid cluttering her brain with the sensationalism and the plain old garbage — how will you choose to filter? Is balance the right answer for you?
Richard Reeve has an interesting discussion on the need for refined search skills on his blog, Catskill Cottage Seed: When Search Becomes Paramount.
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
A very good question, Zoe. I’ve got a certain filter system regarding rss feeds: I read blog posts written by certain authors regularly, because I know the content gives me something to think about (your blog posts for example). The other blog posts I scan by title; if the title calls my eye I read them, if not I delete them, even running the danger of deleting important content. I hope, then, that the content will emerge again. I try to read in order to be able to comment. This prevents me from just consuming one blog post after the other without really reading them.
Ulla Hennig´s last blog post..Media Uploader Overview
Actually, it’s bigger than my brain–thanks for the link–rather, it’s to prevent my entire psyche from becoming cluttered. I find I am much calmer and healthier when my life is very simple. That encompasses material and information clutter.
Hmm…that is an important question.
cuileann´s last blog post..Enter E. and A.
Haha…I was wondering why a new link was showing up in my incoming. I have a hard time justifying what is useful information…and at the same time, I wonder if it helps to be a mental pack rat?
Matthew Dryden´s last blog post..Spilling My Guts to Writer Dad
I took a blog holiday last week, including responding to comments on my own blog. My soul just said: [i]Enough. I need a break.[/i] So I took one. The world didn’t end and I got a chance to relax a bit.
Otherwise my information filtering has become pretty business-oriented. As much as I might enjoy other blogs, if it’s not related to my own niche, I don’t read or comment because there just aren’t enough hours in a day and I do want to spend some time in the real world with real people.
It’s a bit callous, but it’s totally necessary these days.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Living in Denial isn’t Living
oops – speaking of overload – wrong code on the italics…
Posting my comment just got me thinking.
If I’m only doing something because I feel it will advance me professionally, then why am I doing it? Isn’t the whole point of running one’s own business to be able to choose what one does and to enjoy it?
Okay, new rule. I’m only going to read blogs I enjoy.
I wonder if that will decrease or increase the number of blogs in my reader…
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Living in Denial isn’t Living
@ Ulla – Your system sounds quite similar to mine!
@ Urban Panther – You make an important distinction. I can certainly see what you mean — the more info we consume, the more hectic our entire lives feel. That really shows the need to filter our consumption to only worthwhile, stimulating things, lest we be bogged down by crap.
@ cuileann – I’d love to hear your thoughts…
@ Matthew – “Useful” is definitely up for debate. But I do think that it’s important to read thought-provoking prose to stimulate our own thinking… balance to avoid living in a mental bubble. Of course going out to experience the world is ideal, but reading/watching/listening have to substitute sometimes
.
@ Alex – Your three comments just embodied exactly where I want these “Community Contemplation” posts to go — we get to watch your thinking process spin as we read!
Also, taking breaks is underrated — the world does go on! Good move.
Hi, Zoe~
As always, I find your posts thought provoking. Everyone, I believe, is victim to the thoughtless ways that big business uses to get us to open our wallets. If you study copy writing at all, you soon learn the psychological triggers used to get us to open our wallets. But to me, consumerism has always been about choice.
I used to spend a great deal of money on books because I have a driving need and thirst for knowledge. The internet has been a real boon to my wallet. I take the sensationalized headlines that Urban Panther is so against with a grain of salt. I can do so because I have taught myself over the years to filter out the sensational from just plain good reporting. In another discussion on the web, I read how journalists are no longer a viable source of information. I believe that is true. One only needs to look to Bill O’Reilly to see that, or, heaven help us, Rush Limbaugh. I tend to lean more towards The Huffington Post for my news. Op-ed journalism is really the name of the game in this day and age of instant news.
It is our obligation as members of a global community to filter out and take what is relevant to us. Think about it – you are a young girl living in Thailand, I an old coot living in Michigan in the US, yet we exchange information and opinions on a regular basis. I am sure everyone who posts here, including myself, wonder at the credibility of commenters. Yet we share different opinions and information, which allows us to make our own decisions. That, dear girl, is the name of the game.
Peace,
Alden~
Alden Smith´s last blog post..A Conversation With Zoe Westhof
Ugh, consumerism is so out of control – when you start reading about landfills and the damage that we’re doing to our ecosystem so we can continue to produce, sell, and buy stuff that’s basically useless (or at the very least, unnecessary to our survival), it’s truly mind-boggling. I’m not saying that I’m not a part of it – I have my fair share of trinkets and gadgets but I do try to stop before I buy something and ask myself “Do I really need this? Why?”
Melissa Donovan´s last blog post..Holiday Fiction (Writing Exercise)
A choice indeed! I use many different parameters for filtering. I just plain ignore marketing bits such as popups and tags/badges. I read for relevance/enjoyment/growth to me personaly, so even though I am following ‘Chucks blog project’ and felt committed to the two week timeline – and have followed a couple beyond that, one I just had to dropoff before the two weeks were up… it didnt meet my sensibilities, so I filtered it out. I felt a bit guilty about not keeping my two week commitment, but I really needed to be more true to myself first than to Chuck.
I tend to filter according to time, as the blog will always be there when I have the time to come back to it. Just a few of my parameters. Always glad your post makes it through my filters. How to choose – personal parameters, need to choose – absolute.
Your first line sent me spiraling into the realization that Facebook actually makes me extremely uneasy and I’m not sure it’s really adding anything to my life. Hmmmm. I sound so grumpy.
This is another very useful post. Thank you. As far as Facebook, I think all that connectivity makes me dizzy. It’s too much virtuality. Not to mention people posting pictures of their perfect lives – telling us how they want us to think about them. I feel a tic coming on, and you know what else? I think I just realized that when I’m on Facebook, I start itching behind my neck about my blog, and I have to go read Penelope Trunk’s guide to blogging and remind myself not to worry about being anonymous – or not.
I also just realized that I intentionally come up with the most ridiculous status messages for Facebook on occasion – my attempt to filter through everyone’s crap??? or keep from filtering my own truth? My last status message was: “You can’t make me clean up the French Fry’s ketchup off the high chair.”
After the election, I chose not to read the online news, listen to NPR or watch it on TV for a while. Between politics and the economy, I was burnt out on information and avoiding it (except for positive stories) helps keep my mind clear.
Carla´s last blog post..Green and Chic Blog | What is it?
@ Alden – I think it’s extremely important for us to be aware of the shift in journalism that you refer to. Although the deluge of info available to us now means that we receive/see a lot of crap, it also means that we can discover how relative “truth” and “objectivity” are. Mainstream media are losing the blanket grip on being the source for “truth” as we see how much perspective plays into any account. Like you said, this gives *us* the filtering control, instead of relying on the mainstream media to filter for us.
@ Melissa – I’ve moved house three times since living in Thailand, and every time I’ve gotten that “ugh” feeling of overwhelm. I don’t have too much clothing and stuff by many people’s standards, but every time I have to pack it all up, I end up purging more. Excess bogs us down.
@ Trina – It’s true that many people get caught up in reading things they feel they *should*, whether because of expectations, guilt, or some type of blogworld courtesy. When we’re honing our filters, it’s definitely most important to stay true to our values.
@ Jenx67 – Social media certainly lends itself to “crafting” our images! As I mentioned in my post about how we are all storytellers, I think we are all perpetually crafting an image…consciously or not. Social media is a much more deliberate version of that crafting, though.
@ Carla – Wow, the election was the epitome of information overload! The months and months leading up to it, and it only got denser as the day approached. Burn-out was inevitable I think…
Hi Zoe,
Loved your point about consumerism taking over. As a mom to three kids, it is very difficult to teach them that we do not need everything they see on TV and that the things they see on TV or online are not necessarily true. Great post! We all need to cut down on the commercialism and get back to a more value-based society!
Christine
@ mrschattypants – I can’t imagine how difficult that must be… the message is so pervasive, so how do you keep your kids from thinking that’s the norm? At least it’s not the norm we want!
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