If I achieve anything in this article, you will remember these 4 words!

I have gained a reputation for looking in the past to find the meaning of modern experience. Again, this is the starting point for this topic.

In this article, we examine the need to apply suitable filters to the flood of information that we are assaulted with daily. As independent observers of many businesses, we see an ever-increasing range of questionable information and commercial claims that don’t pass basic credibility tests.

“The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”  Sun Tzu – The Art of War.

How do we determine what we should take notice of and what we should discard as a distraction? What is advertising in disguise, and what can be dismissed as unreliable?

Looking back to move forward

To pare this back to the most basic level, we must examine the history. The ability to communicate between individuals for specific events or purposes is a characteristic that distinguishes intelligent species from those limited to innate communications, influencing behaviour en masse for the survival of the species.

Communication has been a leading contributor to the establishment of humans as the planet’s dominant species. Leaders and forebears have left permanent records of skills and events that assist in the survival of future populations.

• Cavemen recorded scenes about food sources and how that food could be caught or found.
• Egyptians used hieroglyphics to record history, their way of life and the great leaders of society.
• Parchments were written to document rules for society, expectations and discovery.
• Town criers were employed to communicate important messages to the general populace, who generally couldn’t read or write.
• The invention of bronze and iron tools for hunting and building are early examples of current practices that have evolved.
• Using timber and stone for building is still in current practice today.
• All of this was made possible with communication. It provides the transfer of current and relevant information between civilizations. The ability to communicate has allowed generations of civilizations to pass down significant information from reliable original sources between decades, eras and ages through time.

Fast forward to today.

We now have instant messaging and public broadcasting from the opposite side of the planet. The average internet ping time between Dublin and Sydney is only 318 milliseconds [Ref https://wondernetwork.com/pings/Perth], which is similar to the average speed of a blinking human eye. [Ref. UCL Institute of Ophthalmology NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology].

From Australia, we can see live telecasts of events from around the world, literally, ‘in the blink of an eye’.

Brilliant. We can watch world-class sporting events and global political events unfolding in real time. We think we have never been better informed and more capable of staying up to date.

But – is that right? Are we really “well informed”?

Every day we face a bombardment of interruptions, emails, instant messaging and notifications, through mega-lists containing our IP addresses. Every device has its own IP address. Therefore, more devices = more information flooding in.

Among the useful information, these messages are littered with advertising, social influencers plying alternate causes, and let’s not forget the ever-present scams. (Scams are a whole different topic with much more dangerous problems and outcomes.)

The temptation is to ‘Select All’ – and then ‘Delete’. No more problems! Your head is firmly buried in the sand for another day.

The reality is, we rarely ‘delete’ it all, because we are responding to FOMO – the “Fear of Missing Out”.

Social media is one of the worst culprits in sparking initial interest and cultivating FOMO.

All to do with dopamine, immediate satisfaction, motivation, learning and emotions.

With the flourishing of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the creators of these high-speed communication mediums are becoming increasingly skilled at disguising the content’s true intent.

Podcasts are another frustrating source of potential misinformation. What is the source of the content on which the podcast is based? Has the information been qualified with facts, and have you been informed of the source? Does the expert in the field have real experience, or is it anecdotal, and therefore, is the whole content of the podcast questionable?

So, what can we do to ‘Filter’ the information superhighways?

How can we quieten the constant noise? How can we be sure we are “well informed” and don’t become another receptacle for junk knowledge?

Let us consider applying filters.

Apply a filter to 1. the information, 2. to the writer or speaker, and 3. Usefulness.

 

Filter 1. Question the information.

This has 4 key elements. Is it information that is,

• Current – belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now.
• Relevant – closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered.
• Significant – is sufficiently great or important as to be worthy of attention.
• Revered – from a source held in high regard, respected and/or admired. Is the information supported with peer reviews, research data or reference material that can be identified?

Filter 2. Check the writer or speaker for a genuine purpose.

Purpose:  Is the source’s intent to genuinely inform, or does it try to influence, persuade, or entertain? Remain vigilant for sources with a clear agenda or commercial motivation.

• Advertorials – advertising editorials, also known as native advertising. This is an advertisement masquerading as information. The real intent is to ‘sell’ a product based on features that supposedly excel over market competitors.
• Infomercials – are similar to Advertorials, but presented via film, television or live reel media. Reality television is littered with infomercials – with obvious examples in travel shows, 4 x 4 and outdoor adventure, home improvement and reality challenges. Brand labels clearly displayed in full view of the camera are an easy way to identify this practice.
• Sales Pitches disguised as information without factual support. These are nothing more than “I reckon statements”. This is an opinion that is completely unqualified at this point. There has been no presentation of facts or sources of data.

Filter 3. If you determine the information is genuinely informative, how does it help?

Can you use it for:

1) decision-making,

2) problem solving,

3) understanding the environment,

4) improving processes?

Only if it passes these tests should you consider wasting the precious hours of your life learning the details, thinking about how it might be applied and committing it to you and your business.

Even then, you only need to keep the knowledge. The data and information are the supporting evidence from reliable sources that prove to you that the knowledge is valuable. How you use the knowledge becomes your wisdom.

This is the value of your brain applying critical thought to the information superhighways – truly questioning the validity of what is presented.

So, to reiterate the introduction to this article.

If I achieve my purpose through this article, you will remember these 4 words!

Current,

Relevant,

Significant, and

Revered.

Life’s too short, and opportunities are too few to accommodate fools who are peddling messages of insignificance to you and your business.