1. Bit Literacy Mark Hurst Information Overload

2. The beginning When reading and writing appeared, writing was mysterious Not much information was available and it was kept secret Rich people might own 4 or 5 books Most people were not literate

3. Technology spreads information Gutenberg’s printing press made it possible for many copies of a book to be made Many more people could own books and have information More people became literate and knew how to read books

4. Today’s technology Today’s technology has created the problem of Information Overload There is NO scarcity of information! There is a scarcity of people who know how to handle the flood of information usefully This skill is “bit literacy” (Mark Hurst, 2007)

5. Bits Bits are heavy – not physically but emotionally and mentally, demanding attention 50% of workers with email check their work email on the weekends, 46% on sick days, 34% on vacation (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2008) Newer technology like tablets and smart phones make the problem worse

6. Bits more important than the hardware Bits on a network travel on and to varied types of hardware How to manage bits is the new literacy How DO people manage them? – Actively, always on, always engaged, always connected, stressed, anxious and overloaded – Passively, ignoring the bits until they are drowned by them

7. Compare Paper to Bits Paper – Old familiar technology, User interface simple – Physical form, stable if protected, deteriorates if not – Expensive to create in physical terms Bits – Not physical – Easy to create large quantities – Does not deteriorate over time – Not a familiar technology, interface changes over time

8. Users People say they are not “computer people” It is as much the fault of poor design and lack of training as lack of innate ability! They expect the technology companies to make them more productive That is NOT the goal of the tech companies – they want customers wanting to buy the latest upgrade, not productive employees

9. The Solution Let the bits go Erase them, file them, act on them Being more efficient and comfortable with your tools