Much like this freeway scene, we seem to live life in a blur...

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I think that we don't live in a 24 hour news cycle anymore, it's more like a 24 second news cycle. It seems like every single second someone is making news (good, bad or indifferent) and every single second some blogger or newsie is somewhere trying to be the first to report it, trying to be the first to tweet it so that it's their tweet that gets repeated 1000 times, trying to be the first on Facebook so they get all the likes. Then as quickly as that first person hit the 'like' or 'retweet' button, some other news is made and the cycle starts all over again.

Will we ever have time to breathe again? (I think Toni Braxton was on to something with that).

I understand the appeal for wanting to be first: it brings in traffic, gives you a higher profile and all of that, but seriously there's nothing wrong with stepping back and soaking in all of the facts, thoughts, opinions and ideas before approaching the public with your perspective.

I see this all of the time with gaming reviews, for example: People are just so anxious to have their review part of that initial cycle of reviews before people, in mass quantities, head out to buy the game. They want to be able to say that their review had a hand in a person's buying decision. I personally don't mind reading someone's review after the fact; even after I've bought and finished the game. I'm always willing to read other people's opinions on something no matter when they release said review, especially if the review is well-thought out and presents something to me in a balanced manner. Hell, I read reviews still of games that aren't even in-stores anymore simply because I just liked how it was written.

And I'm sure you know that politics is notorious about this sort of thing...

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[inhale]

It's like this idiotic practice people have of putting 'first' on someone's post. How the hell does putting 'first' on a blog post add to the conversation at all? It's suddenly become a game to see who can reply first to someone's written article. You know what, bucko? Why don't you read the article first and then if you're gonna post put something there that's meaningful and adds to the discussion. I don't care that you weren't first, I care that you used your brain.

Now I'm not standing on some pedestal thinking I have a shield from rocks that can be thrown. I've been submissive sometimes in this whole deal. Having that itch to hit the publish button before all of the facts are in. It's tempting and seductive to see your post end up high in the Google rankings because people (in their excessive search for the information) came across what you wrote since you were 1 of only maybe 3 people at the time to write about it.

Now though, I take a look at this 'instant-on' society we live in where Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Google Instant Search, all of these tools are helping to bring information to many more people faster than having to wait for the 11pm news. Hell, by the time the 11pm news is on we've already gone past those topics and basically just want the weather report.

Yet, in this age, where information and sharing is practically always a button away, it's very easy for misinformation to filter its way into the lexicon. Because of this 24 second cycle, misinformation can spread just as heavily as the true news causing many more people to obtain the wrong information to work with and consequently end up making bad or misguided decisions because of it.

...yet even as bad as this is, it gives us time to think!

So don't be afraid of not being first. or second. or third. or 30th.

Be more afraid of what you say turns out to be flat-dead wrong.

And even if it is, this is where the news cycle can help you. Go ahead and acknowledge your mistake and where errors were made; then move on. By the time you announce that retraction, we've already gone 30 more stories ahead. Unfortunately, by the time you finish that retraction you'll have missed being first on maybe 17 of those 30 stories.

I'm also not saying don't be confident in what you write and what you publish. If everyone spent their waking hours second-guessing everything they did nothing would get done. I would just advise that you know what you put out there will quickly get swept up, interpreted and re-launched into another group of people. I try to do the same now (again, I'm no angel in this).

I'm starting to find that it's nice to every once in a while be the last guy to the table: Sure you get the scraps, but you know exactly what on the food table to get judging by how sickly everyone else looks. =)

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