Age of Information

It's waning. And, about time, I think. 

When I was a child, information was had by reading books, going to the library, and going to school. School, I might add, meant for the age of industrialization... but I would digress into that another time.   Now, and at the dawning of this age, at the end of the age of industrialization, information is, or more accurately, should be, readily available to just about anyone with access to a computer or device and the Internet.

What age are we dawning into? The business world seems to be gravitating towards an Age of Innovation. New and fresh ideas brought to the table, rather than antiquated degrees of education based on the aforementioned industrialized schooling.

As a society, it would seem more of a shift towards the Age of Experience.  Not so much the experience of life and the past, or what we have learned, but what we can experience here and now, and for the future. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are getting old and tired. Boring. I think some of us (those who haven't totally given up on social media) just check our profile pages out of habit. I will admit there are those who use such things for business purposes or to promote their political and/or religious beliefs. Even most of those are realizing their audience is dwindling.

But, that's just human nature. To want improvement, more-and-better (especially here in the good ole' USA), different.  It's why people stand in line to get into the latest high-ranking movie, or to get the latest iPhone. It's how we progress in life and society. If we didn't have this drive, there would be no electricity, no cars, no Internet. Indeed, nothing that we've come to take for granted that our grandparents (those of us later in years) would not have even dreamed about.

A common thread through all this, and the main purpose of my post, is the commercialization throughout all social media sites and devices. Information, we think, is pretty much free for the taking. However, I find, an increasing number of articles, both scientific-based and opinion, that barely allow one to read the headline before a popup occurs asking for an email address to a mailing list, or an offer to buy whatever it is the site is selling. The very ones that are immune to the pop-up blocker. In some instances, one cannot back out of the popup without complying. I can only imagine walking into a library and having a number of people block my entrance with ads and requests to join a mailing list before being allowed to enter.  Now, I realize, having a marketing background myself, that selling and advertising are essential to the life of a business.  Does it have to be continuously in our faces? Is a side bar or header not sufficient to advertise, either for the author/seller or their supporting advertisers?  It's about as aggravating to find YouTube videos with several imbedded ads throughout the video.

I remember ads in newspapers and television - the media I grew up with. Magazines with full-page, full color ads entreating one to buy this makeup, that lawn mower. Most of us would flip past such, or run to the kitchen for a snack during the Saturday morning cartoons when the commercials came on. We weren't forced as much to engage with such ads. They were more passive. Though, I will admit, toy and cereal commercials were rather enticing to us kids. And all those subscription cards that would fall out of magazines made great mini-paper airplanes and bookmarks. You really don't want to get me started on how I messed with telemarketers, and the axe I had on hand to prevent foot-in-door from (yes, I'm dating myself) door-to-door sales people.

I am a rebel. Rather than post various memes on a social media site on how aggravated I am regarding these in-your-face ads, which does no good (just as the religious/political meme crusades are ineffective) as most people ignore them, I simply make it a point not to buy whatever it is they are advertising.  Liberty Mutual? Sorry, too many ads means I will not buy into your insurance. And don't get me started on the pharmaceutical ads. Those who know me know how vehemently against those I am. While I can easily "x" out of any pop up asking for my name and email (and, yes, I do have a junk email account for any such participation), those sites who require my information just to read an article I may or may not find useful will find me "back arrowing" to my search list for another article.

There are lists I subscribe to, by my choice. Sites I find useful. YouTube channels of particular interest to me and generally do not require me to sit through useless ads.  People are getting smarter and feel less obligated to buy into a recurring, in-your-face ad.  It will be interesting to see just how advertisers squeak their way into the new age, whatever it may be.

Conscious effort. Maybe that will be our new age. Being mindful (you just knew I'd get that in here somehow) of our surroundings. Awareness of the effect of external influences on our inner self and circle. Are we so easily led by those who sell? Or, are we in control of ourselves, seeking out what we want from those who sell, with deliberation? Acting with purpose, rather than being led by a nose-ring, and reacting? Consciously refusing to give in to the clickbait and staying focused. Advertisers rely on the ignorant.