Information Addiction Provides Unexpected Threat to the Environment
/EINPresswire.com/ (Hamilton, Ontario)—In this age of information bombardment, our craving for increasing amounts of data is excessive, according to Dr. Nick Bontis, leading academic researcher and author of "Information Bombardment1: Rising above the digital onslaught." Notwithstanding our desire to quench our thirst for knowledge, other related environmental concerns are beginning to emerge.
"With increased knowledge comes increased responsibility," says Dr. Bontis. "The challenge is to learn how best to manage the information we receive. If we don't, information overload causes detrimental effects individually and collectively."
According to "The New York Times," current US server farms and electronic databases utilize three percent of the nation's power supply, exceeding the entire power needed to run Sweden.
"Internet penetration is fast approaching one-hundred percent throughout the world," says Dr. Bontis. "We have now reached super-penetration in many areas of the globe where individuals have multiple e-mail accounts, mobile phones, and computers."
"The New York Times" article stated seventy percent of all information stored is generated by individuals and a large proportion of that is duplicative. Eliminating redundancy and practicing better information management would significantly reduce the carbon footprint left by data storage.
"As individuals, we crave knowledge incessantly," Dr. Bontis says. "Unfortunately, many of us don't discriminate between the good and the bad. Our brains become clogged with redundant data and useless information which negatively impacts our productivity and work-life balance."
In his book, Dr. Bontis describes several reasons behind our constant craving, including:
* The desire not to feel left out
* The insatiable pursuit of more and more choices and varieties
* Information retrieval as an addiction
* The effect of data overload on our attention spans
* Knowledge as a means of survival
Experts, according to the "New York Times" article, predict information storage will be forty-four times greater by the year 2020. Without changes in the ability to power and cool server farms and other electronic devices, our pursuit of knowledge could become a leading environment concern.
"Information is valuable in today's knowledge era," says Dr. Bontis. "But excessive information can lead to addiction. Information junkies soon lose sight of other important aspects of their lives."
In his book, Dr. Bontis offers key insights knowledge workers and provides remedies to better manage information overload. These green strategies provide timely solutions to address our current environmental challenges.
About the author:
Dr. Nick Bontis was named a 2010 top five keynote speaker worldwide for management and one of the world's top management gurus of 2010, along with such luminaries as Jack Welch, Tom Peters, Michael Porter, and Jim Collins. He is an internationally sought-after management consultant and keynote speaker, hand-picked by the United Nations, the US Navy, Microsoft, IBM, Accenture, KPMG, Century 21, and others to help navigate the knowledge era. He is a popular TV and radio personality, a leading academic researcher, and an award-winning, tenured professor of strategic management at McMaster University. As one of the world's most-cited authors in the fields of intellectual capital and knowledge management, he has amassed over a dozen prestigious teaching and research awards. He was recently recognized as a 3M National Teaching Fellow, an exclusive honor bestowed upon the top professors in the nation.
For more information, contact Dr. Bontis at nick@bontis.com or visit www.InformationBombardment.com.
"Information Bombardment: Rising Above the Digital Onslaught" is available on Amazon.com in soft cover and e-book formats.
For speaking enquiries, visit www.NickBontis.com
"With increased knowledge comes increased responsibility," says Dr. Bontis. "The challenge is to learn how best to manage the information we receive. If we don't, information overload causes detrimental effects individually and collectively."
According to "The New York Times," current US server farms and electronic databases utilize three percent of the nation's power supply, exceeding the entire power needed to run Sweden.
"Internet penetration is fast approaching one-hundred percent throughout the world," says Dr. Bontis. "We have now reached super-penetration in many areas of the globe where individuals have multiple e-mail accounts, mobile phones, and computers."
"The New York Times" article stated seventy percent of all information stored is generated by individuals and a large proportion of that is duplicative. Eliminating redundancy and practicing better information management would significantly reduce the carbon footprint left by data storage.
"As individuals, we crave knowledge incessantly," Dr. Bontis says. "Unfortunately, many of us don't discriminate between the good and the bad. Our brains become clogged with redundant data and useless information which negatively impacts our productivity and work-life balance."
In his book, Dr. Bontis describes several reasons behind our constant craving, including:
* The desire not to feel left out
* The insatiable pursuit of more and more choices and varieties
* Information retrieval as an addiction
* The effect of data overload on our attention spans
* Knowledge as a means of survival
Experts, according to the "New York Times" article, predict information storage will be forty-four times greater by the year 2020. Without changes in the ability to power and cool server farms and other electronic devices, our pursuit of knowledge could become a leading environment concern.
"Information is valuable in today's knowledge era," says Dr. Bontis. "But excessive information can lead to addiction. Information junkies soon lose sight of other important aspects of their lives."
In his book, Dr. Bontis offers key insights knowledge workers and provides remedies to better manage information overload. These green strategies provide timely solutions to address our current environmental challenges.
About the author:
Dr. Nick Bontis was named a 2010 top five keynote speaker worldwide for management and one of the world's top management gurus of 2010, along with such luminaries as Jack Welch, Tom Peters, Michael Porter, and Jim Collins. He is an internationally sought-after management consultant and keynote speaker, hand-picked by the United Nations, the US Navy, Microsoft, IBM, Accenture, KPMG, Century 21, and others to help navigate the knowledge era. He is a popular TV and radio personality, a leading academic researcher, and an award-winning, tenured professor of strategic management at McMaster University. As one of the world's most-cited authors in the fields of intellectual capital and knowledge management, he has amassed over a dozen prestigious teaching and research awards. He was recently recognized as a 3M National Teaching Fellow, an exclusive honor bestowed upon the top professors in the nation.
For more information, contact Dr. Bontis at nick@bontis.com or visit www.InformationBombardment.com.
"Information Bombardment: Rising Above the Digital Onslaught" is available on Amazon.com in soft cover and e-book formats.
For speaking enquiries, visit www.NickBontis.com
1 http://InformationBombardment.com