What is information noise and how to deal with it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Information noise is the scourge of our time, and we must protect ourselves from it. In this article, we'll talk about the main sources of information noise and how to deal with it.

What is information noise

Nowadays, you can see that many people are not very well versed in the topic on which they are actively discussing. They claim that they know a lot on this issue, but for some reason during the conversation only superficial knowledge is felt, even not so - fragmentary. Most people do not understand the cause-and-effect relationships in the huge amount of information they receive.

Now the information revolution is taking place, information has ceased to be inaccessible, valuable and fundamental. Previously, in order to get a cool book, it was necessary to stand in line or get it through tenth hands - such an edition was worth its weight in gold. There were practically no special training courses for ordinary people. Food preparation recipes were inherited, and the advice of elders was heeded as the most important.

Now, in one click, you can explore the Universe, understand the rules of doing business, learn 25 recipes for Olivier salad, master the technology of installing drywall. Spice it up on top with blogs, likes, quotes, mail, TV shows, and the tastiest on TV.

Information noise is an unfiltered stream of information in which the usefulness of the received data decreases in direct proportion to the amount of this data.

There is such a concept in data transmission as "signal / noise". It determines the amount and quality of information reception regarding interference (noise) from a source to a receiver. So, if the noise is strong or prevails over the usefulness of the information, the system will work unstable and with errors and, accordingly, incorrectly perform the assigned tasks. All of the above can be attributed to humans.

In order to improve the quality of reception, in engineering they put filters or improve the source (receiver). In a situation with people, similar actions can be performed.

What is the danger

Previously, the ability to perceive information well, to assimilate, and most importantly, to use it was appreciated. Now everything is a little different: you need to be able to organize and filter flows of information, and the main thing is to search for it. Do you feel the difference?

Evernote, Pocket, bookmarks, cloud storage appeared for a reason. The human brain can no longer assimilate all the information, it just remembers where it is and how it is stored. He no longer wants to memorize cause-and-effect relationships. The brain turns into a fast computer.

The danger is not that a computer will one day begin to think like a human, but that a person will one day begin to think like a computer.

Sydney Harris

A person now does not want to analyze and perceive information, he begins to get used to a simple information flow, without delving into what is there (remember reading diagonally). But this is the main danger: dependence on information is developed. Courses, blogs, articles, videos, photographs - this takes a lot of energy and time, and there is often zero sense in the output.

Sources of noise

TV

The main villain of our time. Mega streams of unnecessary information: advertising, TV shows, news, movies, and even just switching channels in search of something interesting.

Internet

The second largest information noise generator. With the advent of the Internet, all barriers to the necessary and unnecessary information have been destroyed.

A person believes that he owns the situation on the Internet, that he gets exactly where he wants to. And you did not notice how, while looking for an answer to your question, you shoveled a dozen sites, read a few fake reviews, looked through a couple of ad blocks,Do you also often check your mail and answer in the chat of the social network? And do you think your brain has filtered the information it needs well? Most likely no.

Radio

A powerful source of noise is the audio channel. Discussion of empty topics on the air, music of various directions, advertising. But we perceive the main flow of noise when the radio is turned on in a public place: it is superimposed on the already existing noise and clogs the brain completely.

Newspaper

Previously, newspapers were the only source of external information, they were not so packed with rubbish. Now it is scary to open a newspaper, especially an advertising type. Even in a good National Geographic magazine, 30% of the information is elite advertising, and you still have to read it: it's very difficult not to.

Advertising

It is everywhere and everywhere, it envelops our life: banners, billboards, booklets, creeping lines, context. It is really difficult to fight with it: you still pay attention to it, whatever one may say, it eats already at a subconscious level.

Information background

This includes all other sources: conversations, books, smartphones, pointers, instructions, and so on. A simple conclusion can be drawn from everything: we live with information every day, we are literally saturated with it.

How to deal with information noise

The main recommendation is to understand that you cannot know everything and that you cannot keep track of everything. The brain is not a computer; unfortunately, it does not multitask. It is necessary to reduce the range of knowledge you need at the current stage of life.

Limit internet use

If you are a blogger. Many now write about Internet addiction: people cannot live without mail, reading articles, subscriptions, and other bloggers. And this addiction is very difficult to overcome. Yes, they are right, but the main cause of the problem, paradoxically, is the blog. Remove the blog - the problem will disappear.

How to reduce noise: Clean your newsfeed, bookmarks, email subscriptions, favorite social media groups, websites to the bare minimum you feel comfortable with. Leave only the information you need. This must be done harshly: removed and forgotten.

Create your own information buffer zone, protect yourself from all that is superfluous. Do not uselessly read and communicate with others out of blogging politeness.

Stop reading diagonally. This is how you relax your brain. Stop reading things that are not relevant to your direction of development. If you want to read something else - save the information in bookmarks, and if it is not in demand in the near future, then feel free to delete it forever, do not even read it.

There should be a mode of checking mail and commenting. Whoever wants it: either in the morning or in the evening with coffee and cookies - but this regime must be mandatory.

If you are a simple internet user. Here another problem is social networks. Bloggers just sit on social media less. You need to understand that social networks are the very thing to create information noise in your head. Nothing generates so much useless information (even television loses): likes, photos, quotes, texts, comments, contests, news about anything - all this is in an unimaginable amount.

Now imagine: there are people who have more than 1,000 friends, more than 60 favorite groups, more than 300 photos and videos. How many information clusters are in your head because of this? If not for my professional activity, I would have retired from social networks long ago.

Reduce your time in social networks to one hour a day, filter your news feed, leave only the people and groups you need. Better yet, delete your unnecessary accounts altogether. You can't even imagine how much cleaner your head will be. Conduct an experiment: do not go to Facebook, VKontakte and other social networks for a week. Will it work? I think with difficulty.

Stop commenting on everything and empty correspondence on the forums. Walk more, play sports, use the Internet only for professional and creative growth, and do not forget about the hard filter.

Exclude TV

The recommendation is simple: remove TV from life in principle. Believe me, you will not lose anything from this. All the important information you will learn anyway has been tested in practice. For children, TV is doubly contraindicated.

Sometimes the race for large TV harvesters is striking, and the lower the family income, the larger the TV at home.

Filter the radio

This is a controversial point. There are good radio broadcasts, with reasoning and interesting stories. But most are still entertaining and accompanied by advertisements.

You can listen to audiobooks and your music, and from ready-made playlists, according to your mood. Listen to a minimum of programs that will really be useful to you. When you find yourself in an environment where someone else's radio is playing, ask to turn it off (mute) or listen to your audio collection.

Arrange days of silence

Sometimes take a break from information: go for a walk, get out of town, go to an exhibition, take up a quiet hobby or repair. Or just sleep as much as you want without rushing anywhere (this is very helpful). Limit the flow of incoming information to zero, a village or a dacha helps a lot.

Read useful books

Simple advice, but many don't even follow it. At the same time, it is necessary to read in a calm atmosphere, when no one and nothing distracts. So that during reading, memory, creative thinking work, analytical conclusions appear. Read useful literature, but not in gigantic quantities. Don't use speed reading. Avoid pulp fiction.

Be aware of information

Understand, you can't know everything, you can't keep up with everything, you can't read everything. It is better to grasp fundamental information on one important issue than superficial information on five. Surfing the Internet is bad, but understanding and establishing causation is really cool.

If you are aware of this, you will understand what information you need and what is not even worth wasting your precious time on. Don't feel like reading 150 websites or blogs is developing you. Fight absent-mindedness.

Don't generate noise

Finally, the most interesting thing: it is important not to generate noise yourself. We ourselves are often spammers in the information space. Likes, links, comments, letters, photos, videos. You don't have to do action for the sake of action, because everyone does it or out of politeness. Think, and whether this information of yours is necessary to others? Are you clogging up the information channel?

Remember: every word should be worth its weight in gold.