Devil's Advocate: Raw data indigestion

How we consume information and why the net will never completely replace other media are Martin Brampton's subjects this week...

Travelling up and down England as I do, it is interesting to see how other train passengers spend their time. Despite the limitations caused by the moving train, many of them are involved in some kind of communication. Then I start to wonder what kind of communication is engaging their attention.

A few are using laptop computers and look as if they are working assiduously. Some are but a sneaky look at the screen shows that others are playing games. Those with more sophisticated machines may even be watching films on DVD. Catching up with email looks to be another popular pursuit although the promise of mobile connectivity remains firmly in the future for most people.

Mobile phones absorb a lot of attention and appear to trap their users rather in the way of the Ancient Mariner. Many owners like to have the device directly in front of them, eyeing the display in the apparent belief that a moment's inattention might cause the loss of some vital communication. If nothing happens for a while, some people evidently feel that the phone must be kept on its toes by playing games. Paradoxically, when the phone finally comes to life, the half of the conversation that is broadcast around the train carriage is usually of the utmost banality.

Human nature being what it is, although enforced eavesdropping on phone conversations turns out to be devastatingly uninteresting, one cannot help being curious about the few people who spend the journey writing. Perhaps they are writing a mould breaking novel, or a scientific paper revealing unimagined twists in our knowledge of the natural world. Sadly, they are probably writing something altogether more prosaic.

But the most popular activity still seems to be reading a book, a magazine or a newspaper. And that has made me wonder about the value of raw data. Sometimes direct communication is invaluable and email has opened up possibilities such as the pursuit of specialised interests regardless of geographic barriers. Direct communication is very difficult to control though. Often the trickle of interesting email is almost overwhelmed by the flood of trivia.

Magazines and newspapers benefit greatly from editorial control. Despite the glut of material published on the internet, frequently in the rawest unedited form, people are still very interested in periodicals. Some are highly specialised, all have some kind of editorial line that is congenial to those choosing to read them. Many offer opinions that we read, perhaps to confirm our own outlook, or perhaps to enjoy being irritated by views with which we profoundly disagree.

Just as radio and television have failed to displace the printed periodical, so it seems that the wired world still has plenty of room for hard copy. Much traditional skill remains evident in the creation of newspapers. Headlines are crafted quite as carefully as the articles themselves. Thought provoking phrases are pulled out to catch the reader's attention. News articles are written with the most important information at the beginning, so that readers who have satisfied their curiosity can move on.

Of course, the internet has all kinds of valuable functions apart from information dissemination. It is very useful for conducting transactions. I buy nearly all of my train tickets through a website that shows the availability on trains running at different times, with tickets at different prices and with different restrictions. And there are websites that do have extensive editorial input.

So, with all the possibilities that are brought about by direct communication, we need to remember the enormous value of edited information. People are likely to continue to rely on long established editorial skills as a way to maintain a perspective despite the flood of information that threatens to overwhelm us. There is a limit to what we can absorb.

** Martin Brampton is a director and founder of Black Sheep Research (http://www.black-sheep-research.co.uk ), an independent consultancy providing research, writing and speaking services on a wide range of business and technology subjects. Martin was previously a director at Bloor Research, and has worked with IT as a user and analyst for over 20 years. He is a frequent contributor to silicon.com's weekly Behind the Headlines TV programme and can be contacted at silicon@black-sheep-research.co.uk.