What's So Different About Now

I think we are less aware of our ignorance than previous generations. It is easy to implicitly assume that all useful information is available to us, and that we are therefore more informed than we really are.

I think this is because the internet has made information more accessible and global air travel have made the world feel smaller.

Whilst an individual would hopefully never pretend to know everything, I think its easy to assume that the right information exists and is being used by the people to whom it is relevant.

But the accessibility of all information has put us in a situation similar to information scarcity. We still need to actively search for the information we want, because the information that comes to us easily or for free is not equal to what we find when we apply effort.

I can easily have so many short pieces of news or information that I am always slightly overwhelmed. The pace of modern communications encourages me to never slow down enough to form my own questions or frame my own arguments. I can always find an answer to my questions, but when was the last time I checked that whoever gave it to me wasn't going to profit from it?