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For your information
MANY new ways have come up to generate, distribute and save more and more information on magnetic disks in the form of ones and zeroes. Researchers estimate that more than five exabytes (exabytes is equal to a thousand petabytes, a million terabytes, or a billion gigabytes) of information was produced last year (2003), a figure growing by 30 per cent a year, which means the total amount of information online roughly doubles every three years. As the internet has grown in size and scope, techniques for measuring its usage have also developed. Global information stakeholders (Microsoft, Intel, HP and EMC) sponsored a study to “estimate how much new information is created each year” and to gauge the size of the internet.
The study reveals: “The World Wide Web contains about 170 terabytes of information on its surface. Instant messaging generates five billion messages a day (750GB), or 274 terabytes a year. Email (including spam) creates about 400,000 terabytes of new information each year worldwide.”
International Data Corporation estimates that daily email traffic is expected to almost double by 2006. Then there are file sharing, Usenet, database driven sites, web logs (Blogcount.com had estimated that there were 2.4 to 2.9 million active web logs June 23, 2003) and some obscure corners.
Access to information has also grown exponentially. Content distribution has surged in popularity, maturity and usefulness and the internet growth has revolutionized so many other activities. More people are seen using the internet in whatever they happen to be doing in life, in career. How is availability of information helping common users? What differences this glut of information available to any one with a computer and a modem is making?
Is it making people happier, wealthier or better? I posed this question through email to all those I could.
Yes. It does. “I use information to gain knowledge to enrich my life,” replies Abbas Khan, a writer of nine short story books and heavy internet user, “not necessarily for work alone. Usually I find what I need and I am happy with that.”
Tahir Ahmad, non-resident Pakistani studying computer science in USA writes, “In my field of study I am discovering the amazing power information has to make any one happy. By the time I graduate, I hope to better understand how to manage and use information more efficiently and take advantages; it will make me wealthier as it already is making countless people — (most of the new millionaires in the past five years have all been associated in some way, shape or form to both the internet and the information).”
Muhammad Ibrahim is an IT professional working with a software concern. He says, “As technology grows and changes daily, I would not have ready access to information about these advancements without use of online information. I research problems on hand. How others with similar problems deal and resolve them. I believe I am a happier person because of the access I have to this vast knowledge base. In my field of work it would be almost impossible to work professionally and go forward expediently without information at disposal. I am a happier person and better professional because of my access to the information I need.”
Like most other things, convenience of information is not without its downfalls. Nancy Hammond from New Zealand belongs to the Green Party and uses information for submissions, requests to government and for education of other members or general public about actions they could take to help combat environmental degradation, poverty or aggression. In response to my question she emailed, “Most of the information I chase on the internet is about environmental issues specially genetic engineering, water use, power generation, and about peace, globalisation, free trade, foreign ownership of New Zealand, multi-nationals et al. Sadly, it is not making me happier, wealthier or a better person? Much of the information about topics of my interests makes me very unhappy instead. Similarly, I’m not wealthier, as the terrible stuff you read makes you send off some more money to Oxfam or Save the Children or other similar causes. As for making me a better person, I’m the only one who can do that, not information, and I’m too old and doddery now to make the effort!”
Munir Ahmad, a student in University of the Punjab says, “This whole lot of information, with a heavy commercial tilt, does not add much to wisdom. Through internet I find out what other catch from satellite television channels, radio or print media. There is hardly any worthwhile information that is on the internet and not offered by other more conventional mediums.
One has to find out. So it hardly makes any difference.” Talha Ali Khan emailed, “It is certainly convenient to get so much information easily and be able to do things like banking and shopping from home but this is not making me any of those things you mentioned!! It does make me less social instead.”
“It depends, on how users perceive their information needs, how they try to meet those needs, and what can they achieve with the help of information,” in response to my query wrote a travel writer Izhar Qazi, “As far as information making any one wealthier, Bill Gates should be asked this. More information on the internet, more he will sell.”
Aamir Waqas, English teacher in the University of the Punjab gets most of his news from the internet rather than newspapers, TV or radio. He is not alone doing this. The internet now proffered by many users as a source of news and views. He says, “I do not get the chance to scan newspapers and I make up for the news while online doing other things as emailing or surfing.
Earlier, I used to collect clipping of article of my interest. Now I simply save required pieces on my computers to be used later whenever I need. And yes, it saves money and I feel better informed about what is happening around the world where I live.”
Personally speaking, I also track and use information on the internet in so many different ways. I admit I get tremendous pleasure from learning useful new things and sometime presenting those to others. Maybe this is a side effect of what information can offer. It does seem to be working for me though I still tend to rely more on what I see, or hear the old fashion way and much that I download sometime never gets opened. And, stack of unread newspapers and book still sits by the side of my bed.
It has become a cliché to talk of information, the overload or deficiency of it depending upon the experience. But it is a cliché precisely because it is seamlessly getting into everyone’s life. Using information is a need and one of the very satisfying human activities. Or else why everyone, the internet users and non users, should be looking for it? But one thing is for sure: People will always be willing to hunt for information; information they think will make then happier, wealthier, and better person.
The writer
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