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6th out of 30 books
—
5 voters
The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption
by
Clay A. Johnson (Goodreads Author)
The modern human animal spends upwards of 11 hours out of every 24 in a state of constant consumption. Not eating, but gorging on information ceaselessly spewed from the screens and speakers we hold dear. Just as we have grown morbidly obese on sugar, fat, and flour—so, too, have we become gluttons for texts, instant messages, emails, RSS feeds, downloads, videos, status u...more
Hardcover, 150 pages
Published
January 20th 2012
by O'Reilly
(first published December 14th 2011)
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Sundown on Friday, March 23 marks the beginning of the third annual Day to Disconnect, when people are urged to turn off their electronic devices and connect with the world around them. Started by a Jewish group called Reboot, the group recommends that the following principles be followed:
Avoid technology.
Connect with loved ones.
Nurture your health.
Get outside.
Avoid commerce.
Light candles.
Drink wine.
Eat bread.
Find silence.
Give back.
I would also add "take action to be a more concious co...more
Avoid technology.
Connect with loved ones.
Nurture your health.
Get outside.
Avoid commerce.
Light candles.
Drink wine.
Eat bread.
Find silence.
Give back.
I would also add "take action to be a more concious co...more
I'm giving this three stars because there are a few people I can think of that should read this for the distinction he makes between good information and junk information. And for his theory about our tendency to over-consume information and all things Internet just like we tend to over-consume junk food.
It's not getting more stars because it's really a great long-form essay that's been padded out to a slim book. Ironically, this book would have been better if it had gone on a diet!
It's not getting more stars because it's really a great long-form essay that's been padded out to a slim book. Ironically, this book would have been better if it had gone on a diet!
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I don't mean to discourage prospective readers by my two-star rating, but I just couldn't say that I liked this book. I found it interesting, with a worthwhile message and a reasonable analysis of the issue, but it just didn't work as a book. One reviewer said that the book should have gone on a diet, and he's right. If it had been a longer book I may not have finished it, that's how repetitive it was.
The analogy between food consumption and information consumption wasn't the problem. Trying to...more
The analogy between food consumption and information consumption wasn't the problem. Trying to...more
New Year's Resolution for 2013: stay healthy regarding your information consumption. Study and practice The Information Dietby Clay Johnson. Johnson helps you to make choices to avoid information overconsumption. His first claim: information overload doesn't exist, just as food overload is nonexistent. It's the amount and - more important - quality that you consume, that makes or breaks your (mental) health. The author digs this metaphor over and over again and shares good practices for better i...more
When I began rationing (and rationalizing) my internet usage because I was spending too much time on the Internet I realized this was fundamentally about how I process information - email, Facebook, and link hopping.
CAJ says to treat your information like food. In Part One he makes the argument of comparing information to food and why we enjoy consuming so much of both. My favorite part was that consuming the same 'junk' information will strengthen our 'reality dysmorphia,' a cognitive version o...more
CAJ says to treat your information like food. In Part One he makes the argument of comparing information to food and why we enjoy consuming so much of both. My favorite part was that consuming the same 'junk' information will strengthen our 'reality dysmorphia,' a cognitive version o...more
The premise of the book is great: technology is stealing our time and attention with its ubiquity, its endless notifications, and its collections of Tweets and Likes and emails. We should be more disciplined and reclaim some of our time. Great idea, right? It would be if the writing were a bit tighter (this could easily be 50 pages instead of 200) and it the dieting analogy wasn’t overdone. I get that in many ways our information consumption is like our food consumption — we eat things we like a...more
I'm sad to see so many people here quibbling over the food/obesity analogy. Here's what I think of the analogy: it doesn't matter. Yeah, it doesn't work in some ways, but who cares? Most metaphors don't. The issue raised by this book is the most important issue facing America today. I'm not prone to hyperbole, I really believe that.
I'm giving this book 4 stars despite the following:
1) The book contains a surprising number of grammatical errors.
2) The entire 'prescription' section is weak (i.e....more
I'm giving this book 4 stars despite the following:
1) The book contains a surprising number of grammatical errors.
2) The entire 'prescription' section is weak (i.e....more
A call to action for better information habits combined with a recommended information diet.
Moderation, moderation, moderation -- the key to everything, it seems, yet so easy to forget when you have to check your tweets and Facebook and Pinterest and have three (or four) digit numbers in your RSS unread folder only to loop through it again and again, in between personal e-mails and work e-mails and television shows between Netflix movies.
Johnson's political perspective provided an interesting f...more
Moderation, moderation, moderation -- the key to everything, it seems, yet so easy to forget when you have to check your tweets and Facebook and Pinterest and have three (or four) digit numbers in your RSS unread folder only to loop through it again and again, in between personal e-mails and work e-mails and television shows between Netflix movies.
Johnson's political perspective provided an interesting f...more
Not a bad book by any means, but largely common sense solutions which are known by many people who keep abreast of the industry. I did learn new things in this book, but much of it was rehearsing other case studies I was familiar with like Michael Pollan's writing on food and the industrial food system. Yet, I do not disparage his familiar examples. At the end of the day, for my purposes, some of the quotes at the beginning of the chapters and little infobits which he mentions like the Khan Acad...more
I must say the book has a monotonous descending slope. The first part, based in the parallels between the food industry and the information industry, equated by mass production farming, huge disconnection between sources and markets, and an unbalanced trade-off between nutritiousness and sinful pleasures, makes a compelling case.
However, from that first, well argumented point of view, it seems quite likely that the author didn't spend the same time with the other parts of the book, and that he t...more
However, from that first, well argumented point of view, it seems quite likely that the author didn't spend the same time with the other parts of the book, and that he t...more
I watched "Better Activism" livestream organized by Clay Johnson the other day and found him very intelligent and thoughtful. So despite my reservations regarding the moralistic sound of the title, I decided to at least read the Kindle sample.
Full disclosure - I have read only the sample, and I will not be reading more. I think his core idea - that more information is not necessarily better information, and that we should be conscious of the information we consume - is sound, but the metaphor he...more
Full disclosure - I have read only the sample, and I will not be reading more. I think his core idea - that more information is not necessarily better information, and that we should be conscious of the information we consume - is sound, but the metaphor he...more
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Watch what you put in your mind, just as you watch what you put in your mouth. Be deliberate, lest you waste your life and accidentally become stupid. Look to modern thinking on food to guide how you consume information. That's Clay's thesis in a nutshell, and most of the book is a component-by-component elaboration on the food=information metaphor, culminating in Clay's advice on how to be a discriminating thoughtful and measured information consumer. He says things I agree with, yet I have res...more
Jan 08, 2012
Stringy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone with too many feeds, podcasts or sources of info to keep up with
Shelves:
e-book
A quick, thought-provoking read that left me wanting more. But as Johnson points out, we're dealing with a new phenomenon so the ways forward from here haven't all been discovered yet.
We often speak about 'information overload', but since the invention of the printing press hundreds of years ago there has always been more information available than one person could consume in a lifetime. Johnson suggests that 'information obesity' is a better metaphor for what we face today: junk factoids pushe...more
We often speak about 'information overload', but since the invention of the printing press hundreds of years ago there has always been more information available than one person could consume in a lifetime. Johnson suggests that 'information obesity' is a better metaphor for what we face today: junk factoids pushe...more
I picked this book up out of curiosity mostly. I found it somewhat underwhelming. Part of the reason I found it falling short is that, to be honest, a lot of what Johnson preaches is information literacy repackaged. It's what good instruction librarians, and just good librarians in general, have been doing for years, even long before the Internet that he seems so fixated on. That was the other thing that did not endear me to the book: the often elitist assumption that Internet access is easy to...more
I wanted to like this book because I think the topic of critical thinking is so important. But the chief metaphor the author used--that we are filling ourselves full of empty information much as we have filled ourselves full of empty calories--was overused. And ironically for the book suggesting we learn to go directly to the "source" seemed a little light on references. I blame the development editor (or lack thereof) for some structure issues with the book.
But having said that, there are some...more
But having said that, there are some...more
The Information Diet is a strong analysis of the problems with our information consumption that falters as it seeks to find a solution. The book is built around a central metaphor: our problems with information are like our problems with obesity in that, like with food, it's not a matter of consuming too much but a matter of consuming too much that is low-quality, nutritionally-empty, but cheap and "tasty." In this case, this information equivalent of junk food is fear-mongering and affirmation...more
I love me some information. I mean it. I'm a self-proclaimed media wh0re. I have news feeds galore, apps that buzz me with up-to-date information; I check my twitter feed frequently, as well as facebook and Google Reader. If I'm sitting and there's a computer by, it's on and I'm perusing the netosphere. I constantly exchange ideas with my colleagues and students. We chat during lunch about anything from politics to The Bachelor. I'm a reality television junkie as well. They are nothing more than...more
Way too many facts for a book that aims to help us go on an information diet! The diet is meant to save our time and also buffer us from prejudice, misinformation and rigidity of views. Comparing obesity to information consumption is too simplistic, I thought. Making objective and rational decisions based on the information we consume cannot be defined along the lines of a calories-in, calories-out formula. That said, the author touches upon crucial aspects of new-age information consumption, li...more
Information - you're doing it wrong.
Clay Johnson's book is about the information you take in, and the effects it has on you and society. Using the analogy of food and nutrition, he argues that the data we are consuming is the equivalent of processed food, full of fats, salt, sugar, and all other sorts of nasties.
His ire falls on the multitude of websites pushing bite-sized snippets of junk out into the world, the headlines that enrage more than enlighten, the link-bait trash that we seem powerle...more
Clay Johnson's book is about the information you take in, and the effects it has on you and society. Using the analogy of food and nutrition, he argues that the data we are consuming is the equivalent of processed food, full of fats, salt, sugar, and all other sorts of nasties.
His ire falls on the multitude of websites pushing bite-sized snippets of junk out into the world, the headlines that enrage more than enlighten, the link-bait trash that we seem powerle...more
This is a skinny-fat volume of pop neurology. Or, no, wait: it's a series of short paragraphs from a time management seminar in 2007. Wait, no. It's a pat paen to openness in government (sorta) and citizen activism (of a sort). Hmm, well... Truth to tell, it's best to think of this book as three long essays, none of which have virtually anything to do with one another, all three of which are significantly longer than they ought to be, and most of which are pockmarked with poor writing and outrig...more
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The core message of this book is critical for just about anybody. I love the metaphor of physical dieting, as well as the emphasis on being an active citizen and consuming responsibly. This is a great review of digital literacy concepts I learned in a class last year, and I hope to be more digitally healthy as time goes on!
Once concept that really stuck out to me is the idea of the trophic pyramid as it relates to information. Just like the higher up energy goes on the physical pyramid the more...more
Once concept that really stuck out to me is the idea of the trophic pyramid as it relates to information. Just like the higher up energy goes on the physical pyramid the more...more
I rather like the food analogy the author uses throughout the book, I do agree with his comments on our bad habits on information consumption, and the premises seem to be valid for us (non-american), even though the book is aimed directly at the american public: we don't eat the same type of food, watch the same TV programs or read the same papers, still, you can pretty much detect, in my kin, the same behaviors the author describes for americans, food and information-wise. On the flip side, the...more
Whether you spend time online or offline, we are getting hit with a ton of information each and every day. How we deal with that information is fundamental to our lives; what we choose take in can strongly impact our way we see the world. Johnson’s book is a meaty read, and might be tough to digest for some people. But it’s a healthy one as well.
I can’t think of many books that are more important to check out, no matter the time of year. While a nutritional lifestyle change is often fodder for m...more
I can’t think of many books that are more important to check out, no matter the time of year. While a nutritional lifestyle change is often fodder for m...more
This is an important and provocative book in this era of "information overload". Johnson uses a food metaphor to argue that we should consume information as mindfully as we consume food. In his words, "We know we're products of the food we eat. Why wouldn't we also be products of the information we consume?"
The book is divided into three parts: First, a primer on the evolving economics of information production. Johnson argues that just as food production became more efficient and gave rise to h...more
The book is divided into three parts: First, a primer on the evolving economics of information production. Johnson argues that just as food production became more efficient and gave rise to h...more
I think Clay Johnson did an excellent job of laying out the types of things we're currently inundated with on a daily basis - information via electronic devices. Using the examples of food consumption, he illustrates the various ways we receive information each day and how this is making us information obese.
I found this book interesting for two reasons. One, it hasn't been that long since I read Lisa Bloom's "Think", which talked about the 'dumbing down' of women in America and how they need to...more
I found this book interesting for two reasons. One, it hasn't been that long since I read Lisa Bloom's "Think", which talked about the 'dumbing down' of women in America and how they need to...more
"The Information Diet" is a healthy but less-than-comforting blend of facts and observations about the ideological comfort food many Americans wolf down every time they turn on a news channel.
Johnson convincingly demonstrates that many people seek affirmation rather than information--they'd rather be told that they're right than told to challenge their assumptions. And given that content providers--particularly on T.V. and heavily-trafficked Internet sites--make a living on ad revenues, they tai...more
Johnson convincingly demonstrates that many people seek affirmation rather than information--they'd rather be told that they're right than told to challenge their assumptions. And given that content providers--particularly on T.V. and heavily-trafficked Internet sites--make a living on ad revenues, they tai...more
I found the food metaphor to be monotonous and frankly overused throughout the book and it was tiring working through the first few chapters. That said, I liked the author's definitions of ignorance and the importance he placed on content creation. As a teacher I am often trying to get my students to reflect on their learning and to push each other's thought processes - to not succumb to affirmation bias or spit out buzz words they hear from parents and on TV. Sure, a lot of this is common sense...more
I picked up the Information Diet based on a recommendation from a friend and found it so fascinating that I finished it in two nights of reading. This book has given a name to the problem that has been plaguing me for many years -- Information Obesity. I had been consuming too much "junk" information, and was not following a healthy information diet. Well, armed with this book I now know what the problem is, and what steps I can take to help myself. I definitely recommend this to anybody who spe...more
90% Fluff
The general idea and sentiment behind this book is great, but it's difficult to walk away without seeing the obvious irony; this book is not a quality information source.
A major problem with "The Information Diet" is that there's not much coherency; the 12 or so short chapters read more like disparate blog posts than sections of a single book. There are a few tidbits of information to be gleaned, but for the most part I didn't learn anything new.
To my bewilderment, a substantial portion...more
The general idea and sentiment behind this book is great, but it's difficult to walk away without seeing the obvious irony; this book is not a quality information source.
A major problem with "The Information Diet" is that there's not much coherency; the 12 or so short chapters read more like disparate blog posts than sections of a single book. There are a few tidbits of information to be gleaned, but for the most part I didn't learn anything new.
To my bewilderment, a substantial portion...more
A somewhat lengthy discussion on the ideas of 'information overload', and how the glut of the new forms of passive media (TV, the internet) allow people to unconsciously follow those sources which confirm their biases.
Therefore, what is necessary is to limit overexposure and overwork, and follow a good balance of sources in order to prevent distortion of your point of view, and make sure to critically analyze the sources of your information (including book reviews).
Seems a bit obvious and length...more
Therefore, what is necessary is to limit overexposure and overwork, and follow a good balance of sources in order to prevent distortion of your point of view, and make sure to critically analyze the sources of your information (including book reviews).
Seems a bit obvious and length...more
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“Chances are, if we can't laugh at something, we can't think rationally about it.”
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“Nobody has a maximum amount of storage for fat, and it’s unlikely that we have a maximum capacity for knowledge.”
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