Just Google it.
It use to be that information, hard cold facts, on topics ranging from A to Z, could only be obtained from books and encyclopedias, etc. Information/knowledge was very precious and obtaining it meant a trip to the local library or, if you had money, a trip around the world.
Only the best homes had a set of encyclopedias.
THE OLD SCHOOL WAY
Let’s say you had to do a school paper on the country of Zimbabwe. This would require going to the library, locating the Encyclopedias, usually Britannica or World Book, finding the volume with the letter Z on the binding and copying paragraphs of information onto index cards. Usually there would be a photo of a typical Zimbabwean, etc. for you to feast your eyes on. Encyclopedias were condensed and therefore easy. (I tried to avoid the card catalog whenever possible.)
If that wasn’t taxing enough, you could run into trouble if another student arrived before you and refused to relinquish the the needed volume. Having another student beat you to the punch meant that when your mom came to pick you up, you wouldn’t be ready. Such an inconvenience!
Think about it… The notion that everything you would ever need or wish to know could be found in one of these books was completely absurd. But that’s all we had…
FAST FORWARD, ENTER GOOGLE
Remember the song, “Video Killed the Radio Star?” Well, similarly, Google killed the encyclopedia industry. Okay, a bit of a stretch…
Now, with Google and Ask.Com, etc., obtaining information is ridiculously easy. In fact, there is no topic that can’t be found on the internet with the click of a button. Information that use to be so hard won and precious is now cheap and easy. Nowadays anyone can sound intelligent as long as they have a computer and let their fingers do the walking. Yawn. I care so little, that I usually don’t bother.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
I don’t know about you, but I’m so VERY UNIMPRESSED with people who throw bits of information around as if it’s somehow so clever. Who cares! Nothing is unobtainable, nothing. Since we’re all just a click away from a complete understanding of the world, information has become blase. If someone is in the dark it just means they were too lazy to “Google it.” The playing field is completely level.
So what’s left to be impressed with if not facts and trivia? Personally, I’m impressed with thought process, humor, emotions, philosophies, intuition, instincts, experience, the arts, etc. Anything that is raw and real is interesting, facts and info, not so much.
Thoughts, Feelings…?
Agreed. Now we can find out anything we want to, the funny people shall rise! I will have my moment in the limelight! Mwahaha.
Haha! It’s sooo TRUE! Humor is more enviable than someone walking around with a bunch of useless information. The Pete Howorths of this world will rule supreme!
I feel so left out!! I am a walking source of useless bits of info. My Dad loved to assign us pages to copy from the dictionary or encyclopedia, so, I rocked the Trival Pursuit game. I’m not so funny, so, I stick with my stupid arcane facts.
*sigh*
Sorry.
Addie what’s going on with your blog 😦 I came to read and it’s protected. I shed many a tear.
I got nothing to post, Pete!! So, until I do, I’m back to reading and commenting.
Awh 😦
But Addie, I was behind! I wanted to catch up on the posts I missed!
You have your humor, Addie. Stick with that and you’ll be a-okay.
If you want to see something that illustrates how annoying useless, easy to come by, information can be, just watch an episode of the Gilmore Girls. You’ll think twice before you do it again.
Must I watch them again???? NOOOOOO!!
I remember having to write a multiple-page report based on the small bit of info I’d find in my encyclopedias at home. How to stretch out 5 or so sentences to cover the prompt?! So hard. And I hated the card catalogue. Don’t get me started on that.
Lol! I totally forgot about stretching the skimpy info into a report! Haha! I was such a good BS’er! And the card catalog was a total nightmare, right? Ugh. Thank heaven for Google.
I agree with everything you said. The one good thing that came out of Google, at least I think so, is that everyone WILL look things up. If I had a question and needed to look the answer up in a book, I would say “Nahh. Not worth it” 100% of the time. This way, it so easy to look things up, research, and see what sites Google leads you to!
Have you seen that commercial with that mom that calls into the radio station and answers all of their questions because she just looks them up on her smart phone?
Haha! That’s such a good commercial. I barely remember what a pain in the neck it use to be. I can’t believe how much harder our lives were.
I think knowing how to apply information shows intelligence whereas throwing random facts around is so boring and worthless. It’s a drastically different world we live in. Weird.
Previously the confident, intelligent-sounding bloke down the pub was the king of everything.
Now you can prove how full of shit he is by pulling out your phone and reading Snopes.
That’s the perfect story to illustrate my point. I know a couple of people like that, as well. It’s like the rug got pulled out from under them.
“What’s wrong? No one is impressed with your endless stream of factoids?” boo hoo
I find Google etc an absolute boon, I must say. Trying to get facts straight for a book (and even in a fantasy one likes to be accurate) used to be a total mission. I would come to a screeching halt wondering what sort of weight an owl could carry, and things like that. Finding such information in a library was not fun.
Now, it is just a matter of having enough references to trust. There is an awful lot of false information out there, so one needs to be cautious.
That’s the truth. Wikipedia is full of false information as it’s written by just your average Joe.
The amount of information available, and the speed at which it becomes available is really overwhelming. I’m afraid my simple brain can’t keep up with it.
Sometimes I have to turn it off and curl up with a good book, instead.
Do you have anything published?
I’m more amused by the amount of wrong information on the net that people read without confirming, then pass off as fact…
You’re so right. People just assume cause it’s on the Internet it’s accurate. It would be such an easy way to spread lies and propaganda. Eventually it will probably get used for such a purpose, if it isn’t already.
It sort of is. Check any far right or far left political website. They both twist the facts to support their narrative.
I suppose you’re right. And by right, I mean correct. Those sites frustrate me and then I want to comment, but then I’m like, “Why?” It’s so futile.
Google is great and all, but it has exposed a man’s innate ability to bullshit with the best of them. Women everywhere can no longer believe a single word a man says when it comes to sounding knowledgeable on any given topic. If there is any doubt to his logic, all a woman has to do is “google it.”
This is a tragedy, really.
Very true. People can look it up before you’ve even finished explaining or finished your sentence, even worse!
But on the plus side… It gets rid of all those wind bag, know-it-all’s. I sort of like that it’s a level playing field.
I’m much more impressed, nowadays, with the guy who has original thoughts and thinks outside of the box. (The box being, Google! ha!)
Do you really think men are better at bull shitting than women? Or do women just make a better audience?
You know, I’ve never thought of it that way. I would have to say men are better bullshitters for two reasons.
1. We hardly ever know what we’re talking about.
2. Women do know what they’re talking about.
I believe this is a proven universal truth.
That sums it up perfectly, Eric.
Haha! Agree!