That a lot of information zips around the crazy expanse known as "the world" is certainly no news. And neither is the fact that this information is constantly pounded into our heads through technologically bold and irritating new ways that develop as fast as information itself officially becomes information. I am something of a technophobe but even with my limited exposure to television, the Internet, Facebook, and its ilk, the never-ending cascade of information--some vital but mostly useless--becomes simply too much to handle.
Let's do something about this. As an experiment for social good, I suggest that we establish April 8th, 2009 as "National Info-Less Day," a one-day moratorium on all information. That's 24 hours--just 24 hours--in which no person, no media organization, no blogger, no social network, no whoever or whatever can disseminate, transmit, broadcast, beam, convey, Twitter, Email or pass along any new information to anyone else. This includes breaking news, facts, opinions, observations, gossip, creative expressions, commentary, parodies, homework, conjecture, or fictional representations of the aforementioned. Why April 8th? Why not? The choice of day is as random as the information I am attempting to temporarily curtail. (I will, of course, make exceptions for life-and-death matters in The Day the Earth Stood Still fashion: planes in flight, surgery, that sort of thing.**)
Through "National Info-Less Day," I hope to 1) help cut down on wasteful information, in the spirit of sacrifice defining our country 2) allow people a moment to better digest and take stock of all information thrown at them on or before April 7th, 2009, and 3) inspire people, however minutely, to consider what information is essential to their lives and what is beyond the pale of irrelevant shit. Perhaps this will force news organizations to reassess what they pass off as legitimate information for the masses. Perhaps this will lead to greater, more sustained breathers from the data that threatens to overwhelm us all. Or, perhaps this will simply get flushed down the vast mental toilet into which most information goes.
Now, if those of you reading this cannot imagine the possibility of functioning for one day without Nadya Suleman updates, without continual reminders that our economy is tanking, without updates from friends informing you that they have successfully gotten coffee, then ignore this and move onto your next 1200 sources of news and opinions. For the rest of you, please send this blog about "National Info-Less Day" to your friends, family, clergy, political leaders, and media outlets of your choice or digg it or do whatever one does to spread the word. And yes, I am aware of the heavy, heavy irony involved in using available channels of information to temporarily halt future information but, hey, whaddareyagonnado? You have to fight fire with fire, or some other equally hackneyed cliché. And if this kind of thing has been suggested or done before, well, clearly no one told me or I did not read about it. And that's a good thing.
April 8th, 2009. "National Info-Less Day." Help save our heads from exploding--for at least one day.
** The 1951 version, of course.