I came across this article in the Globe and Mail last week. I was
intrigued by the title, 'Technology: Reducing Cognitive Load' and I wanted to
explore this a bit more. Upon further reading, I realized that the article
was more or less an advertisement for a website. However, I did find some
interesting points about what this specific site has done to reduce their users
cognitive load:
- Visual
Images - our brains are able to process images easier than text. This site
has focused primarily upon the use of images over text
- Curation
is creation - basically, this site provides a 'storage space' of
information (kind of like hoarding, but virtual and possibly more
organized) so that everything you post/like/follow is categorized and
easily accessible for future use
- Sharing
- finding and following what you like is simplified by the common forum
that is created through individual's pinned items
So, what does this mean for
blogging? More broadly, what does this say about the websites we follow (or
don't), the degree of interaction that we may or may not have with a site, and
the underlying messages and motives that may or may not exist in the sites we
choose to read/follow? Do we choose certain sites (consciously or
unconsciously) based on the above factors, with sites that have some or all of
the ‘cognitive reducing’ aspects more likely to be followed? Again, more
questions than answers…
Cheers,
Theresa
Cheers,
Theresa
Hi Theresa
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting site. I have been thinking about virtual clutter lately. I recently was moved from my private office to a group office with limited space. I was forced to go through my filing cabinets and reduce, reuse or dump… I got rid of a lot of stuff that I hadn’t seen for many moons. Then I started thinking about my computer files. I am sure I have files dating back to my first use of computers. Would a site like this one give you an excuse to create more clutter or actually manage all that stuff? All though it doesn't really sound like it stores files.
How many neglected files to you get to have on your back up sites before you are considered a virtual packrat?
Can anyone use a virtual Hulugirl lamp? I hate to see it go to waste.
Cheers
Brendan
Until very recently, I had never even heard of Pinterest, and now I learn it has been around for two years. Their “goal is to connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting.” As I recently joined Twitter, I thought I should give Pinterest a try as well.
ReplyDeleteI found Pinterest fairly easy to use and at first glance, it seems like a good place to store everything you find on the web in one place. I agree with the point that visual images are often easier to process than text. A downside is that you can only pin images. So, that great key lime pie recipe I just made, can’t be added to my recipe board as it doesn’t have a picture included with it. I will still have to save it somewhere else, just as I did before, so not sure it will reduce my cognitive overload.
I currently have three boards with five pins total. Within 24 hours of ‘pinning’ my first item, it was ‘repinned’ to the boards of 17 people I don’t even know. A friend from high school is now ‘following’ me and my boards. Who knew what I found interesting would be so interesting to others.
I, like many, could always use more organization in my life. I think Pinterest would have been a useful tool when planning my wedding as it would have saved me emailing bouquets and centerpiece etc. that I found back and forth to my mom as she would have been able to ‘follow’ my board. Searching the boards of others is of no interest to me, but I could see myself using Pinterest to digitally store interesting information I come across, that is if it has a picture attached.
On another note, I now have three people I don’t know following me on Twitter, even though I have yet to make my first tweet. Like your question “what does this say about the websites we follow (or don't)”, what does it say about the people we choose to follow (or don’t) or those that choose to follow us (or don’t) on social media sites? Perhaps they are following me in the hopes that I will begin to follow them? Like you, more questions than answers...
Pinterest- http://pinterest.com/about/