Information Renaissance
As I walked in to the first meeting of my graduate assistantship (over the summer, before the school year actually began), I was greeted by my supervising professor who promptly began a multi-media presentation. I took many bits of information from this presentation, but a few of them caused this notion of the “Information Renaissance” to stick out like a sore thumb.
The presentation was titled “Shift Happens” watching it for the first time providing me with one of the few revelations I’ve had in the last couple years. Some of the points made caused the notion of the “Information Renaissance” to stick out like a sore thumb.
However, one comment in particular provided me the key to understanding why it is that I feel as though I understanding nothing in life today. In this presentation, the following argument is made: “It is estimated that a week’s worth of New York Times… contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century.” This is honestly a difficult concept for me to wrap my simplistic little mind around. What!?!?!? Is that even possible?
I assume it is, considering another hypothesis offered later in the presentation: “It is estimated that 40 exabytes of unique, new information will be generated worldwide this year. That is more than in the previous 5,000 years [combined].”
It is no wonder then that people are required to be lifelong learners in today’s world. Not only is there entirely too much information to take in during one lifetime, that information is dynamic. Thus, whatever you think you know has probably changed since the last time you learned it. So, go “re-learn” it now, because you can bet it won’t be the same tomorrow.