A river, a flood, a tidal wave of information

Information over the web has grown more than 50% today, compared with a year ago, according to a new survey by Magnify.net,  reported by MediaPost. The sheer volume is partly the result of always being "on" and partly the result of proliferating numbers of devices and services. 

(In a paradoxical way, this may work to the advantage of magazine editors and publishers who curate, filter and package information.62.5% of respondents said they wished they could filter out the flood of data, though this wish seems a bit pious when you read that 35% answer work emails while with children and 43% answer texts and emails while on dates or at social occasions.)

 

Connected To The Web
Connection to the Web	(% of Respondents)
Wake up to bed time	50.3%
9am to  9pm	16.8
Most of the work day	28.0
Source: Magnify.net, April 2011

Steven Rosenbaum, author of Curation Nation, concludes that "... (since) the volume of raw data coming at us has increased more than 50% in the past 12 months... (and) as more digital devices and software services proliferate... data and speed of increase will grow exponentially... (and) will be unsustainable... "

He goes on to suggest that "... algorithmic solutions, better spam filters, smarter search, and more connected devices will fact-expand the problem... (while) human data management, shared and community filtering, and personal recommendations will allow ‘content' consumers... (to) consume curated content... (and) surf less... "