I followed the random twitterfall this morning to the Edge question of the year: How is the Internet Changing the Way you Think.
An answer came right to mind, and I thought I’d make this my first post of the year. The internet rewards clarity of purpose in a meaningful way, and thus has been training me to reach deeper inside for a clear definition of what I’m trying to accomplish.
a. if you’ve got a problem you’re puzzling through, or are trying to solve something, or research something; odds are the solution or at the least relevant information is on the web. If you can generate a clear query string to find it, that is. I find the ratio of time spent trying to isolate a problem based upon my own empirical deductive skills, vs. the time spent trying to find an online answer has shifted far to the latter. And this has required a skill with constructing query terms; which has shifted my thinking into how to clearly and succinctly describe a problem; in a manner that is orthogonal enough from related but dissimilar problems to get me relevant data. Thinking really hard about how to precisely identify the search is an evolution in my approach and thought patterns; something that wasn’t an option before the internet.
b. the internet also rewards clarity of purpose by punishing those without it. I remember in my early blogging days setting my browser homepage to bloglines for awhile. It was a surprise that I managed to get anything done; and I quickly changed back to good ol google. There is infinite distraction online, and this distraction drains productivity and achievement from those that aren’t clear in what they’re about. Prior to 25Mbits of access to everything from twitter to WoW to facebook to blogs to streaming video; plain old simple boredom could be the kick in the pants you needed to get something done. Not now. There’s probably some evolutionary end point that will play out, those who have genes predisposed to distraction will be weeded out, those who can focus will thrive. This has always been the case, but the internet magnifies the effect.
There, some quick and dirty web philosophy from Steve’s Tech Journal. Happy New Year to you all!