Information Overload, Media, Consumerism
A defining characterisitc of my 30's (I'm currently 31) has to do with a pervasive feeling of "information overload" but perhaps this is just common to all urban people living in the modern age. It just seems that as the pace of my life seems to quicken, due to increased responsibilities, overall productivity as a working adult and my ability to organize,sort and seek information. Part of this is also due to being a working mom/administrative professional. My primary job is to keep other peoples' complex schedules, and information organized. At work, I access up to 10+ programs simultaneously, work with raw data such as numbers, charts, publications, statistics, copy confidential and archived information using a wide variety of "network shares" and database systems. I also find myself applying my professional organizational to my home life, (then blurring the line between work and "life") the house requires constant upkeep, the boys can't find their stuff, but then in at the same time, I get handed a pile of administrative paperwork pertaining to the school, requesting information, purchases, paperwork to fill out, permission slips, my medical plan, in addition to the regular pile of bills, etc. In addition, I also carry the requisite cell phone, pager and multiple email and web accounts.
Although part of this subjective experience of information overload is part to my own information-seeking behavior, in general I notice I'm subjected to this relentless marketing in light of now being a prime demographic (zip code, steady job, long history of multiple accounts). Not only am I gifted a deluge of direct-mail marketing materials, it seems that any company that I have any type of financial relationship with wants me on their mailing list for future marketing purposes. For example, last time I went to a local salon, I think they noticed that my son requires an easy hair-cut at least every four weeks, that I tend to overtip, since I come from a service-industry family. Or if you want to look up a movie time on the Seattle Times website, you will have to register, submitting to a host of questions about your demographic status. For that matter, virtually any website of value requires you to log in, create an account, increasing one's proliferation of accounts, passwords and minutae to remember, catalog, organize and/store.
By some obscure mechanism, and despite my best efforts, I get on these mailing lists for Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes, Bon-Macy's catalog mailings, REI, Verizon, in addition to huge quantities of "free and easy" credit from innumerable credit agencies. See blog "Capitol One: What's in your wallet?!" Yesterday, while walking home, my phone rang, I answered a call from a Nordstrom cosmetics counter salesperson hoping to drum up business by inviting me to some kind of "Spring 2005 Guest Makeup Artist's Event." I can't imagine the kind of people that get excited about such things, but since I am not one of them, I declined. Continuing my walk, I tried to fathom how they got my cell number? I don't even have an account with them, it was odd, but I must have filled out something at some point, but cannot remember why I would do so.
In light of my hatred of unsolicited calls from tele-marketers, I had of course registered for the "Do Not Call" registry as soon as it became available in January 2005 and was elated to find via my companies' mail guru (Thanks Ken!): a website for an organization called: Mail Preference Service, accessible at: http://www.dmaconsumers.org/offmailinglist.html. Using this site, or sending a simple signed statement to the address listed at the site, it says using this free service your unsolicited mail will become reduced over time. There is another related site called: The American Dream, which is actually about reducing consumption, mailings, etc. http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/index.php Of course I use my company "junk mail" filter for email networks and pop-up blockers, spyware, and virus protection for the various PC's that I use. On the other hand I am also a consumer of sofisticated telecommunications hardware/software and services (now as common as white bread) and am looking for the technological answer that will help me make increasingly "more efficient" use of my time. The end result of this will be the inevitable increase in subscription-based services (and more data-sets for companies) such as XM Radio, Digital Broadcasting that allows one to consume media without being force-fed commercials. Is commercial TV passe or what? There is nothing that irritates me more than having to watch commercial television to get a few "free" entertainment kicks in after a busy day. Double the sentiment when going to a mainstream movie theater and having to watch not only the "slide show" prior to the previews, reminding you to get your movie popcorn and drink Coca Cola products, the 30 minutes of previews themselves an the smattering of car commercials thrown in. I didn't pay $9 dollars to watch 40 additional minutes of commercial programming! Stay tuned for an advertising rant soon.
Perhaps this is just best summarized as this "cat and mouse" game between those of us seeking information, consumer products and information vs. entities that are looking to profit from my desire for information, products and services. Although my partner says what I need is "a wife" or perhaps a social secretary, what I am hoping to locate is the perfect Personal Digital Assistant that is also a phone/data transmitter. During my most recent research in this area (December 2004) there was still not a consumer device that fit my vision of this "dream machine."
Although part of this subjective experience of information overload is part to my own information-seeking behavior, in general I notice I'm subjected to this relentless marketing in light of now being a prime demographic (zip code, steady job, long history of multiple accounts). Not only am I gifted a deluge of direct-mail marketing materials, it seems that any company that I have any type of financial relationship with wants me on their mailing list for future marketing purposes. For example, last time I went to a local salon, I think they noticed that my son requires an easy hair-cut at least every four weeks, that I tend to overtip, since I come from a service-industry family. Or if you want to look up a movie time on the Seattle Times website, you will have to register, submitting to a host of questions about your demographic status. For that matter, virtually any website of value requires you to log in, create an account, increasing one's proliferation of accounts, passwords and minutae to remember, catalog, organize and/store.
By some obscure mechanism, and despite my best efforts, I get on these mailing lists for Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes, Bon-Macy's catalog mailings, REI, Verizon, in addition to huge quantities of "free and easy" credit from innumerable credit agencies. See blog "Capitol One: What's in your wallet?!" Yesterday, while walking home, my phone rang, I answered a call from a Nordstrom cosmetics counter salesperson hoping to drum up business by inviting me to some kind of "Spring 2005 Guest Makeup Artist's Event." I can't imagine the kind of people that get excited about such things, but since I am not one of them, I declined. Continuing my walk, I tried to fathom how they got my cell number? I don't even have an account with them, it was odd, but I must have filled out something at some point, but cannot remember why I would do so.
In light of my hatred of unsolicited calls from tele-marketers, I had of course registered for the "Do Not Call" registry as soon as it became available in January 2005 and was elated to find via my companies' mail guru (Thanks Ken!): a website for an organization called: Mail Preference Service, accessible at: http://www.dmaconsumers.org/offmailinglist.html. Using this site, or sending a simple signed statement to the address listed at the site, it says using this free service your unsolicited mail will become reduced over time. There is another related site called: The American Dream, which is actually about reducing consumption, mailings, etc. http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/index.php Of course I use my company "junk mail" filter for email networks and pop-up blockers, spyware, and virus protection for the various PC's that I use. On the other hand I am also a consumer of sofisticated telecommunications hardware/software and services (now as common as white bread) and am looking for the technological answer that will help me make increasingly "more efficient" use of my time. The end result of this will be the inevitable increase in subscription-based services (and more data-sets for companies) such as XM Radio, Digital Broadcasting that allows one to consume media without being force-fed commercials. Is commercial TV passe or what? There is nothing that irritates me more than having to watch commercial television to get a few "free" entertainment kicks in after a busy day. Double the sentiment when going to a mainstream movie theater and having to watch not only the "slide show" prior to the previews, reminding you to get your movie popcorn and drink Coca Cola products, the 30 minutes of previews themselves an the smattering of car commercials thrown in. I didn't pay $9 dollars to watch 40 additional minutes of commercial programming! Stay tuned for an advertising rant soon.
Perhaps this is just best summarized as this "cat and mouse" game between those of us seeking information, consumer products and information vs. entities that are looking to profit from my desire for information, products and services. Although my partner says what I need is "a wife" or perhaps a social secretary, what I am hoping to locate is the perfect Personal Digital Assistant that is also a phone/data transmitter. During my most recent research in this area (December 2004) there was still not a consumer device that fit my vision of this "dream machine."
