Scientia potentia est

There are a million things happening on the internet, simultaneously every second. 

The temptation is to catch up with all the signals shooting up on our radar. Often, we fall. I certainly do. The mid-article link that gently whispers "click me, you need to read what I got", links-bearing Twitter notifications, search results from the keyword you just typed in Google; all of them promising juicy information. 

It's a link-fest; links bearing a promise of knowledge, a promise of entertainment, or in some cases, a combination of both. 

Gently cooing at the back of our minds is the "fear of missing out", so we set out to catch the lightning in a bottle. We are jumping from one article to the next. Jockeying articles and installing speed reading apps. I have recently installed one of those. Maybe too early to say, but it's not helping.

Yesterday, Twitter announced Moments, a feature that will help users catch up on the most relevant stories from around the world in minutes. I like it. But I also fear it. It's another signal in an intimidating ocean.

An ocean that, along with voices around remind of how much there is to know, how much more to learn. Don't forget the stack of books in your library and the too little time. 

Scientia potentia est; Knowlege is power. Nothing truer. Only now all I get from my attempt at capturing knowledge is a stinging headache and tired eyes. 

It's a trend I love to hate. It's also one that makes me question what matters. What's worth knowing in this morass of messages? What's worth knowing at all? 

Photo Credit: Kurayba via Compfight cc