The Future Belongs To Filters…
Information is ubiquitous. We all need it. We all want it. 
Information is forever increasing. However, it’s not necessarily correct to state that the amount of information is increasing. What is characteristic of information today was characteristic of information yesterday, 20 years ago and 2000 years ago. Information is information; it is always here, it is always there, always happening, always spreading. The majority of fundamental information is not new or genuine. The majority of fundamental information is recycled–simple common elements with fresh, complex twists (or retro twists that are simply different from yesterdays twists). Information is everywhere, and it always has been everywhere. This is not a new concept.
What is new (what is changing) is the way in which information travels. What is unique, as compared to yesterday, 20 years ago and 2000 years ago, is the way in which (and the speed at which) information moves. Information has always been abundant, but what makes it seem overly excessive today is that it is extremely more accessible. The mediums by which information travels are changing at a rapid pace, making information all the more simple to extract and act (or not act!) upon. The information was always there, and now you can get it all. Information input (and output) mass is increasing because the mediums by which it moves are getting stronger.
We do not live in an information deficit world. We will never struggle to produce or feed on information. This is not the challenge. The challenge lies in filtering through the matrix of information. Google “started” the revolution back in the late 90′s. They created a simple way (a tool) to extract information that was similar to or more closely related to the information that you actually wanted. Sometimes, they actually gave you exactly what you wanted! Twitter does a good job of bringing information snippets from all over the world into one medium. However, Twitter is more of a funnel than a filter. Squidoo is a filter, and they limit their information stores to what others decide to put into them. It’s up to lens masters to input info. Facebook is a funnel as well. It takes personal information and gathers it into one base for all to see. The more people and the more information they can collect, the better their system works. They thrive on more and more information.
The future doesn’t belong to funnels. The future belongs to filters. Those who can create systems and tools which work to extract specific and minute details, and deliver them to a wanting audience, will be the most successful. There is an overwhelming amount of information out there which we are all highly connected with. Even in our own small worlds, we are superstars based on our thousands of online followers. Our information appetites are high, but we are reaching our fill. From this point on, I only want the information that I want, and I don’t want to have to struggle through the clutter to get it. Give me filtered information. Don’t call it lazy, call it wanting to be more productive, effective and efficient.
Personalized filters.
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That’s a nice write up.
I completely agree! (hence the coming BusinessSmartFind.com).
I was first sold on this filter idea when reading The Long Tail.
Great post.
I was actually thinking about this today, as I was contemplating signing up for Twitter, I wondered to myself, “Really? Do I need one more thing sending me information that I most likely don’t need.”
So, I abstained.