The Reaction Compulsion

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Brass Tack Thinking - The Reaction CompulsionOne side effect of the information firehose that is the web is that we consume content at lighting speed. We digest very little of it.

Akin to wolfing down a bag of donuts because it’s your diet cheat day without tasting even one of them, we’ve gone into hyperdrive with the way we proudly amass blog subscriptions, books, ebooks, videos, online courses, statistics, bookmarks…

We voraciously dive into posts, fly through them in about 30 seconds, pick out the highlights, think we must know what it’s all about, and dive into the comments with gusto, brandishing our two cents as if they were the last two pieces of copper on the planet. We tweet things we haven’t read. We review books we’ve barely skimmed. We contribute to online lynch mobs and tote our virtual pitchforks with pride, with barely a fact check among us.

Might we just slow down? Just for a moment?
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Whew.

Why is it that we can’t be perfectly happy with finding one book that really makes us think? That moves us and inspires us, and then actually spend the time to act on what we’re feeling and thinking?

I’m so happy to find a blog post that gives me pause, and that stuns me into that oh-so-rare commodity on the web: silence. (Yes, yes, you rapier wit, you. There’s irony in my writing this post. I get it. Carry on.)

And so often, I read through comments on posts and realize so clearly that we as readers have systematically extracted the Cliff’s Notes, and commented for the sake of it, often as I watch the point the author was truly trying to make – and not unclearly – go whizzing right past most folks’ heads.

Why are we doing this to each other?

For as much as we discuss the quality over quantity issue, I’d love us to exercise that more. Pay some homage to good content by giving it time to percolate. And rather than devouring a book about automotive repair and presume to tell others – frequently, mind you – then how to fix their cars, perhaps we could take a bit of what we learn and quietly but diligently figure out how to fix our own car first.

I’m going to do it myself, even, because I don’t have enough room in my head for half of what I find. I’m going to be content to let most of it go in favor of a few things that I can truly apply. Sometimes, the power in a simple, clear, and straightforward idea can keep me busy for days, show me whole new avenues and perspective I hadn’t considered.

And perhaps one good idea in action just might trump hundreds of others that fly by at the speed of light, lost in a status update, never to be thought of again.

I’m going to go settle in for a while, and savor the tidbits I’ve found.

You?

image credit: ell brown

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  • http://thoughtwrestling.com/blog Mark Dykeman

    One way that I (try to) combat the kneejerk reaction of scan-then-comment is to print blog posts out on paper so I can review them later. I realize that isn't ecologically cool but I grew up reading that way.

    There's a strong tendency to put our own mark (no pun intended) on someone else's post because, hey, they might think we're smart and come back to our own blog and see how smart we are there. But really, what's the point of putting ignorance on display? Commenting for the sole purpose of self-promotion is heading down the proverbial slippery road.

    However (counterpoint) there is a lot of web writing which doesn't warrant reflection because it only deals with the “skin of the pudding” (as Liz Strauss might say) and doesn't say very much at all.

    The good stuff certainly warrants care and attention, though.

  • http://rickcaffeinated.com Rick Stilwell

    Someone somewhere (I didn't slow down long enough find out who/where) said that a bad book will be put down fast, a good book will be read fast and not put down, and a great book will be read slowly and put down often. That's always a challenge for me.

  • http://sellinginformationproducts.net John Soares

    Amber, I think many commenters do the quick-scan, quick-comment thing because they are trying to get their names and websites in front of as many eyes as possible. Commenting is about traffic generation, not necessarily connection.

  • Marco

    I've been trying to save big reads to ReadItLater to review on my iPod Touch, offline, on the subway.

    And, I'm starting to try to read online the way I used to when I studied, by highlighting text that jumps out, that seems relevant/important to the way that I'm reading it and what I get out of it (which I think is an important point to make – you might write something and I might get something completely different out of it – I think that's fair).

    I'm using Diigo to do the highlighting/bookmarking, like I did with this post – http://diigo.com/0bdxk. I'm not totally there yet, but I'm hoping to eventually make these links the core of what I tweet (my main way of sharing), so that when I “lead” people to a useful resource/link, etc., they see immediately, at a first glance, the sections I thought might be important/useful for them and for myself. Also, Diigo keeps a nice clean URL record of the link, so that it won't be eventually lost when yet another URL shortener dies! :-)

  • http://www.thechrisjordan.com Chris Jordan

    I can't recall the number of times I've started typing a comment in a comment box on someone's blog… and then deleted it before I even really got started because I wasn't sure why I was even commenting to begin with. Or got half way through a book… only to end up back at the bok store. There are so many people on Twitter that I follow and don't know why. In fact, I've almost quit Twitter so many times out of frustration. Lending worry and thought to quitting something like Twitter is such a silly thing to lend worry and thought to anyway!

    There is so much great content that we couldn't take it all in if we tried. I have like 400 things unread in my Google reader and at this point I refuse to take time to even mark them as “read” – because deep down I knew that I didn't really read them. So then what's the point of Google reader?

    I'm about ready to bookmark like five things and be done… minimize and move on. Quality over quantity has to be the most appropriate cliché so far this year.

  • http://engage.tmgcustommedia.com andrew

    Amber: You are so completely on the money. I'm guilty of this, too, and I think a lot of us are. Maybe it's the demand that we, as alleged experts, must see all, read all, and know all, which is absolutely impossible.

    I want to follow your lead here and invest my time more selectively. I want to be picky about what I interact with. It's a difficult challenge, but it's worth it.

    Rick and John: Your comments are great.

    I read

  • http://twitter.com/EllisTweet EllisTweet

    …and THAT, dear friends, is why I keep my “follow” list pared down to less than 120. And I regularly cull that list so that I can replace it with different tweeters that are more compelling to read.

    Consuming less and savoring more.
    Turning down the volume to concentrate on the meaning of the melody.

  • http://twitter.com/donhornsby donhornsby

    Thanks for this excellent post – and for the outstanding reminder to sort through all of the information in order to identify the important things. I have to admit that I have shared articles and post with others after a quick scan. It just seems that we don't have the time (or the capacity) to handle the vast amount of information coming at us on a daily basis.

    I have decided after reading your article to 'settle in and savor the tidbits'.

    Your article reminded me of another post that I read yesterday about slowing down and taking time for the important things.

    “We live in an age in which knowledge has increased and it’s difficult to manage the abundance of information coming at us daily. Between the mountains of paper to sort through, we try to find a few minutes to talk to friends and associates on our cell phones, download material from the Internet, and watch our favorite news channels via satellite dish or cable. We do these things while attempting to keep up with all the other demands of life. There is a sense that we are always in a hurry, wheels spinning, going nowhere.

    Are we being left without time for the most important things?”

    Read more at: http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?…

  • http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Justin Kownacki

    Wait — is the web an “information firehose” or an “information firehouse”? This drastically affects any Cafe Press branding for this post.

  • http://www.twitter.com/dj_justjay Jason Arican

    Funny- I had to really restrain myself from doing this very thing yesterday. I think people also feel the need to be one of the first few to hit the comment section or otherwise beat the rush of people sharing the same post.

    In any case, this is sound advice.

  • http://twitter.com/megfowler Meg Fowler

    Misinformation seems to be the engine that drives the Internet sometimes — and much of that confusion comes from people consuming too much at once, and then reacting to the volume of it all (rather the individual voices.) We also tend to react to things in a particular way because we're putting them through the filter of how we express ourselves, and the way we prefer to process information.

    As a writer, I also often get caught up in HOW someone is saying something, instead of WHAT they're actually saying, and then I react to that…which means I'm questioning expression, not meaning (not that the two aren't deeply intertwined, but good points are often made awkwardly.)

    Love this post.

  • http://twitter.com/megfowler Meg Fowler

    Misinformation seems to be the engine that drives the Internet sometimes — and much of that confusion comes from people consuming too much at once, and then reacting to the volume of it all (rather the individual voices.) We also tend to react to things in a particular way because we're putting them through the filter of how we express ourselves, and the way we prefer to process information.

    As a writer, I also often get caught up in HOW someone is saying something, instead of WHAT they're actually saying, and then I react to that…which means I'm questioning expression, not meaning (not that the two aren't deeply intertwined, but good points are often made awkwardly.)

    Love this post.

  • http://annatarkov.posterous.com Anna Tarkov

    Great point. I see this ALL THE TIME on Twitter, on blogs and in real life as well. I think one of the reasons it happens (and has kind of been mentioned by John in the comments here) is that the Internet often rewards this bad behavior. After all, the first person to tweet something new or controversial will be credited with it by countless others, the top comment on a TechCrunch or Mashable post will potentially get the most traffic to their site, etc., etc. So basically, all the things that made the Internet or social media great are the same things that make it terrible sometimes.

  • http://jorge.threefivesup.com Jorge Jaime

    I must confess most of the content I consume I scan it first to see if it's worth stopping on it. There's a bunch of articles I save for a quieter time and read and take notes about. This process helps me let the content sink in my brain and formulate my own thoughts on it. I think slowing down is part of the learning process and if we consume content fast many of it will be lost within minutes.

    However, consuming content fast helps us give a superficial value judgment to see if it's useful and will deserve a more slow thoughtful reading and learning.

    I try to consume less content now and take the most from the content I consume. I don't know if others are doing this too, but with so much information we can't even read all the printed books on our fields out there. One thing that happens a lot is that most of the content repeats itself: different books talk about the same thing and different blog posts talk about the same subjects, so finally we won't end up missing so much.

  • http://www.scribnia.com/author/show/473/david-spinks/ David Spinks

    In the social media space, people read content for 3 reasons…

    To learn…
    To share…
    To engage…

    Skimming through posts and books, without really giving it it's deserved time, is a way to do these 3 things faster, but no to your best ability.

    By taking the time to really read these things, you can learn a lot more, you can be more selective in only sharing the things that are truly worth it, and you can actually engage with the writer (comment on blog posts) assuming you've grasped the point of their article.

    …but when everyone's short on time and big on expectations, we tend to cut corners.

    For me, I take forever to read books. I just really cant take it in unless I read it very slowly. For blog posts, I usually decide in the first paragraph whether or not it's worth actually reading, or skimming. I read every word of this one.

    David, Scribnia

  • http://twitter.com/admom1 ncarson

    Perfect post for me to read today. I just added another blog subscription to Google Reader and thought, “how many of these is too many?” I mean, really – I have so many unread items already, it's crazy. I don't comment on blogs often because it takes too much energy to swat away my perfectionist tendencies. (“If you can't do it right, then don't do it at all” kind of thing….aargh. Thanks, mom.) I guess some people think quantity trumps quality. Like sending 200 blind emails out for new biz development instead of mining current clients for referrals. So, yes – even just one good, clear, thought-provoking idea should be enough to savor. Let the rest go. I'm closing my reader now and not opening it again until tomorrow. ;)
    Thanks, Amber!

  • http://twitter.com/Jenny86753oh9 Jen

    You mean, actually commenting on the content? Not commenting with another agenda? That's like old-school! ;-)

  • http://www.buildertarget.com Dawn Sadler

    Great post Amber. I think about this from a content creator standpoint (how's my own car running?), that we can win people over with a friend/fan/follow/subscribe but every post has to win their attention again. The blogs that continually do that earn reader trust and (for me) that's what slows me down to read it. It's like a funnel: posts (blogs, tweets, etc) I am aware of are at the top, then blogs I subscribe to, blogs I subscribe to but read only when the headline jumps out at me, and those I slow down to read every time because I know I will get something meaningful and immediately applicable to my business (like this one).

  • kaydavid

    Love this post. I have way too many things that have been skimmed, leaving my mind full of unconnected pieces of data that I can barely put back together to be of much use. I agree with others who plan to cut down and scale back in an effort to try to make it a more manageable and enjoyable experience in the future.

  • http://www.puredriven.com Patrick Garmoe

    Never before have we had such a flood of information available to us. I feel like there's a natural need to want to devour more and more of it, much like most guys continue flipping channels, even if they're already watching a favorite show.

    People have to get used to the notion of the value of plunging deep into only a few blogs and books, and letting the rest go by. But right now, the hunger is for more and more and more information. I distinctly remember 10 years ago looking forward to reading the one blog I knew about, and wishing there was a whole lot more for me to read. In those days there wasn't. Sometimes I long for those days, as I get sucked into my reader for a quick peek at the latest…

    http://www.puredriven.com/blog

  • http://christammiller.com Christa Miller

    I put pressure on myself to consume quickly because if I don't, I'll forget about it later and miss possibly important points. Because I'm still in learning mode, about PR and marketing and business-running and yes, writing too, the pressure is higher than it would otherwise be.

    I also don't comment because I KNOW I read too quickly. Frequently I miss the point of something, but whether it's because I've forgotten how to process, or because I just don't think the same way the blogger does, I don't know. (A little of both?)

    But I regularly cull my Google Reader list, I find that the webinars I sign up for sound remarkably the same, and the most valuable lessons I learn come from often unexpected types of content (such as the press release I just read that was “newsworthier” than the one I just wrote, and I can see exactly why and how).

    Most of all I struggle with the balance between learning by doing, and learning from masters… but by going too fast, I'm not learning much at all. The question, then, is where to start digesting…? If only I could slow down long enough to think about that! :)

  • BernaLee

    Took the time to read your post, and at least 15 comments. This read challenges me to take a breath, regroup, and consider the time element of gaining information vs embracing information – on behalf of a better life resolve. Thx for the post!

  • http://www.mikestenger.com Mike Stenger

    I've worked on this a lot as far as turning it down a bit when it comes to consuming content. When I go through all the posts in my reader, it just makes my head spin. And really, what's the point of consuming a ton of content if you never retain most of it? Doesn't make a ton of sense IMO. Then again, I post most weeks 5 days a week on my blog.

    In a way, I'm somewhat contributing to that information overload. But is it a bad thing, even if the content is valuable and not something that was just thrown together in a few minutes?

  • http://twitter.com/swoodruff Steve Woodruff

    I'm finding it very easy to get addicted to warp speed. And more difficult than it used to be to examine the stars at 1/4 impulse power…

  • Pingback: Storytelling Business Social Media Marketing PR & Technology Curated Stories June 15, 2010

  • AmberNaslund

    Oh no doubt. There's plenty of detritus floating about the web. But focusing on the good content, I'm finding I'm much more settled and focused when I decide to give fewer things more attention instead of the reverse.

  • AmberNaslund

    I have books that I love that I go back to, over and over, that are dogeared and written in and battered. And once upon a time, I made myself suffer through bad books on principle, I guess. No longer. :)

  • AmberNaslund

    I know that's part of the equation, sure. But I think there's also a “look at how smart I am” thing that causes people to want to say SOMETHING, just to prove their mettle. And with our over-obsession on commenting = engaging, people are trying to prove that they're just as smart and invested as the next person, even if they aren't.

  • AmberNaslund

    I use Instapaper for some stuff. But I'm finding that my curation tendencies these days are more for what OTHERS might find useful, so I'm using things like Delicious more and more because I can share them easily.

  • AmberNaslund

    I've been there too. But I think the point of a reader is to put everything in a place where you CAN pick and choose what's worth digging into. At least, that's how I use mine.

  • AmberNaslund

    That's interesting, Andrew. The idea that we need to “know it all”. But that's impossible, as you say. So would you rather have surface knowledge about a lot of things, or deep knowledge in a few? There are pros and cons to that. I'm always debating.

  • AmberNaslund

    That's a choice too, EJ. I do Twitter differently. My follow list can be large, but I use tools like lists, searches, and filters to dig through and find what I need when I need it. My approach to Twitter is a little different than more substantial comment consumption. But we've each got to find a way that works for us.

  • AmberNaslund

    Thanks for sharing the post, Don. And I actually did read it. :)

  • AmberNaslund

    I both hate and love you for catching that. Fixed. Smartass.

  • AmberNaslund

    I think that's part of it. There's a bit of superficial importance that's attached to having something to add, even if it doesn't add much, huh? Though to the contrary, there have been plenty of posts of mine where the content IS the comments. So it cuts both ways.

  • AmberNaslund

    “We also tend to react to things in a particular way because we're putting them through the filter of how we express ourselves, and the way we prefer to process information.”

    Yes, indeed. And I sadly sometimes share your affliction for objecting to the delivery instead of paying attention to the substance. I've been paying close attention to that, though my word nerdery is not going away anytime soon.

  • AmberNaslund

    Definitely a double-edged sword. We have so much information at our fingertips yet, we have so much information at our fingertips. And man, is it easy to pile onto a bad thing.

  • http://davidhorne.me david horne

    Amber, So true. Sometimes we need to slow down to speed up. When we take time to let things marinate in our mind we actual move our thought process forward. Thanks for the reminder.

  • AmberNaslund

    There's nothing wrong with vetting content. That's not what I'm really talking about. I'm more reacting to our tendency to race to the finish line instead of savoring the run.

    As for repetition, I think repetition matters, if only because we each need things to be presented in a slightly different way. Different books, writing styles, content types appeal to different people and they extract different things from them. So in that sense, I don't mind the repetition of topic if the approach is unique.

  • AmberNaslund

    I think the reasons you list are true, but they're also very altruistic. We also read content because it talks about us. Because it makes us feel validated, or because it gives us something to argue about. We read content because our friends wrote it or someone we admire did, and we want to see if we can learn to do what they do. We also want to give ourselves a stage sometimes to assert an opinion or be seen as “agreeing” with someone we think is smart.

    But to your point, I'm a fan of really sinking my teeth into things these days rather than just checking it off my list. I'm getting a lot more out of it as a result.

  • AmberNaslund

    Sometimes letting go of the “potential” of something is hard. We've been faced with this notion that opportunity is in every corner of the web, so we feel compelled – addicted? – to absorbing and connecting and mining it, even if we're trapped in the act itself and not the result. And sometimes, the answer is to find a few good things, and be willing to let go of the rest until the others have run their course.

  • AmberNaslund

    Or just being quiet. Sometimes, quiet works too. /irony

  • AmberNaslund

    Thanks, Dawn. I'm super glad for that. :) The best part is when you take the immediately applicable and actually apply it. I've been busting my butt to put my money where my mouth is in recent months, and hold myself accountable for what I say I'm going to do. And the only way to get there is focusing on what actually counts. I've had to slow down to gain momentum if that makes any sense.

  • AmberNaslund

    That's just it, isn't it?

    I've been experimenting with something. I've always hated mindmaps and could never find a way for them to work with me. But lately, I've put a big, generic thing in the center: Me. I have a line for each of the major aspects of my life: work, personal projects, personal social stuff (including my kid). Now, when I'm finding something useful, I'm plugging it in as a branch on the map to consider and come back to.

    I'm having to filter carefully, but it's giving me an interesting picture of my own perceptions and ideas of what I need and want to work on.

  • AmberNaslund

    I understand how that feels. I'm watching the world around me, and several individuals, succumbing to the tidal wave they've created for connection, sharing, consumption, information… and I'm so afraid of being that person myself.

    But I've made a *very* conscious effort to focus what I'm doing lately, and slow the hell down. And oddly enough, I'm no less productive, I'm in a much calmer frame of mind, and I feel like I'm actually working toward something.

  • AmberNaslund

    Start digesting where you are right now. Don't try and pick the perfect place, just work on your immediate surroundings. Go from there. And breathe.

  • AmberNaslund

    It's made all the difference for me, recently. I'm working as hard as ever, but I'm working toward what I know is important. That filter helps immensely, and aids in tuning out the stuff (and ahem, the people) that simply don't matter.

  • AmberNaslund

    There's a difference between creating and consuming. And by creating regularly, you're giving OTHERS the opportunity to filter. You don't expect them all to find every post perfect for them, do you?

    How you distinguish your own consumption has to be different, and suited to your tolerance level as well as what you can actually enjoy and/or make use of. It doesn't always have to be related to work, but you've got to have a grasp on what helps, even if it's just for fun.

  • AmberNaslund

    At least you've got the replicator. That comes in handy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/DianeRayfield.ISMA Diane Rayfield

    Love this…and I am going to savor this tidbit. I find myself speeding through content in order to find the best and most useful content to share with my followers….often! And to stay on top of social media evolution. I simply don't have the time to luxuriate in every word of every worthwhile blog I read, though I do try.

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