%% ID: 13729039 Updated: 2022-02-20 %% ![](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article2.74d541386bbf.png) # About Title: [[Other/Obsidian Starter Vault(Second Brain)/Readwise/Articles/While Everyone Is Distracted by Social Media, Successful People Double Down on an Underrated Skill]] Author: [[Michael Simmons]] Category: #articles Number of Highlights: ==60== Last Highlighted: *2022-02-18* Readwise URL: https://readwise.io/bookreview/13729039 Source URL: https://medium.com/accelerated-intelligence/while-everyone-is-distracted-by-social-media-successful-people-double-down-on-a-totally-underrated-5a86701e9a27 # Highlights How do we use the limited time we have to find breakthrough knowledge in a sea of distraction? ^288851064 --- Right now, somewhere out in the world is a paragraph, chapter, or book that would change your life forever if you read it. I call this kind of information “breakthrough knowledge,” and mastering the ability to find breakthrough knowledge in our era of information overload is one of the most important skills we can develop. ^288851065 --- My most recent quake book was Poor Charlie’s Almanack, written by self-made billionaire Charlie Munger. This was the first book that exposed me to mental models ^288851066 --- Each new group develops its own language and culture. While this improves communication inside the group, it makes it harder for knowledge to travel in or out, because it must be linguistically and culturally translated first. ^288851067 --- Info-Apocalypse Problem 1: Content Shock“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention …” ―Herbert A. Simon ^288851068 --- Quake books are rare, but one is worth a thousand merely good books. ^288851069 --- Although we think of information overload as one big problem, it actually consists of four problems that are each getting exponentially worse, and that together add up to one big crisis ^288851070 --- As groups grow in size, they become less stable and more diverse, eventually fracturing into subgroups. ^288851071 --- As inventor Charles Kettering once said, “A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved.” ^288851072 --- more content is added to the pile every second of every day. The gap between this total collective human knowledge and our time to consume it grows larger every second. ^288851073 --- The four problems that make up the Info-Apocalypse are:Content ShockEcho ChambersConstant DistractionFOMO (Fear of Missing Out) ^288851074 --- “The information we consume matters just as much as the food we put in our body. It affects our thinking, our behavior, how we understand our place in the world. And how we understand others.” — Evan Williams, Co-Founder of Twitter and Medium ^288851075 --- the average person who is not deliberate will tend toward a media diet of “junk food.” ^288851076 --- many people living on “junk food” media diets think they’re getting more informed and smarter when the opposite is happening. ^288851077 --- I can swear off Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube as much as I’d like, but each of these is also where I do work to build my busines ^288851078 --- We cannot passively have faith in the stream on our news feeds, default settings, and notifications to guide us. The companies that control these do not have our best interests in mind, and they have broken the public trust. ^288851079 --- It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us. ^288851080 --- Each group lives in its own echo chamber, which it believes is the “true” reality, and it fights to maintain this belief by demonizing other groups. ^288851081 --- Or I can literally sign up for an $180 all-access pass on Masterclass and learn directing from Ron Howard, screenwriting from Aaron Sorkin, or filmmaking from Martin Scorsese. ^288851082 --- And in an age of social media and targeted, personalized content, these echo chambers become even more insular (see The Filter Bubble for more on this), as we’re exposed to less and less information outside our own chosen groups. ^288851083 --- Info-Apocalypse Problem 3: Constant Distraction ^288851084 --- Too many good options combined with not enough foreknowledge on which is best means we’re constantly second-guessing our choices ^288851085 --- To those who are not deliberate, the Internet looks more and more like an information desert: full of mostly junk information. ^288851086 --- They have developed business models based on advertising — or spreading misinformation — to get the maximum number of clicks for the least amount of effort. ^288851087 --- Let’s say I want to learn videography. Twenty years ago, I would’ve had to find a local class or read a book. Today, I can go on to YouTube and sort through one of the 277,000 results that come up for “learn videography.” ^288851088 --- Should we read a book on data science or artificial intelligence in order to future-proof our careers? Should we touch up on our communication skills so we can be a better leader? Or should we read the latest workout research, diet book, or parenting guide to take our personal life to the next level? All of these areas are important, and comparing them can feel like comparing apples to oranges to almonds. ^288851089 --- Info-Apocalypse Problem 4: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) ^288851090 --- “If you think this is addictive, just wait until five years from now.” ^288851091 --- This content is marketed specifically to our own inclinations, which proves a powerful distraction that can keep us from pursuing more useful information or our own goals. ^288851092 --- if we’re careful about what we consume — we actually live in an information utopia. ^288851093 --- What makes it overwhelming is not the number of options; it’s the number of good options. Letting go of good options is painful to humans. It’s called loss aversion. ^288851094 --- a significant percent of humanity may be looking at life through augmented virtual-reality glasses or contact lenses, which will make the problem even worse. ^288851095 --- People who learn to access breakthrough knowledge quickly while minimizing the noise have a huge advantage over others. ^288851096 --- Science grows by what is proven wrong, not what is proven right. ^288851097 --- Few people even realize that learning how to learn is its own distinct skill set. As a result, they don’t improve. ^288851098 --- Disconfirming evidence — evidence that proves your existing ideas wrong — is exponentially more valuable than confirming evidence ^288851099 --- Info-Apocalypse Solution 3: Learn How to Learn ^288851100 --- distinguishing between incremental knowledge and breakthrough knowledge. Once you know what you’re really looking for, it’s easier to find it. ^288851101 --- Breakthrough knowledge, on the other hand, challenges our fundamental beliefs about how the world works or introduces a new lens through which to see the world. It sticks with us. ^288851102 --- This power question helps me avoid mindlessly consuming content because it has a good title, shows up in my newsfeed, and just sounds sort of interesting. ^288851103 --- When you learn mental models, you begin to see the underlying patterns at work in every area of life, and it becomes much easier to spot the signal in the noise ^288851104 --- Hundreds of years ago, the idea that the sun orbited the Earth was obvious and a closed case. Although, the notion that the Earth revolves around the Sun had been proposed as early as the 3rd century BC, the idea had never received a lot of attention. ^288851105 --- What is the use of having countless books and libraries, whose titles their owners can scarcely read through in a whole lifetime? The learner is not instructed, but burdened by the mass of them ^288851106 --- One piece of disconfirming evidence can be worth a million pieces of confirming evidence just like one breakthrough knowledge book can be worth more than 100 incremental knowledge books. ^288851107 --- Incremental knowledge further confirms what we already know to be true. It is reading yet another book on marketing, when we’ve already read twenty. It is an interesting tidbit that temporarily entertains, but is quickly forgotten. ^288851108 --- Info-Apocalypse Solution 1: Ask The Magic Question In Order To Filter Breakthrough Knowledge From Incremental Knowledge ^288851109 --- Philosophers, thinkers, and intellectuals have commented on information overwhelm since ^288851110 --- If you’re just learning about mental models for the first time, my free email course will help you get started. My team and I have spent dozens of hours creating it. Inside, you’ll learn the top mental models that the most successful entrepreneurs in the world use to make life and business decisions. You’ll also learn how to naturally use these models in your everyday life. ^288851111 --- Another example of a mental model is Opportunity Cost, which is the value of the choice of a best alternative cost while making a decision ^288851112 --- Does this have the potential to fundamentally change my life? ^288851113 --- But there’s a way to learn that’s even more condensed than field summaries. It’s called mental models. ^288851114 --- This ultimately led me to do a deep dive on mental models. Mental models are representations of phenomena that have been observed across time, across fields of study, and across domains of life. In my opinion, they deliver the most knowledge value because:The knowledge they impart is much more condensed than book summaries or even field summaries.They retain their value over time (and even increase it).They are broadly applicable across fields. ^288851115 --- many of the smartest entrepreneurs in the world structure their knowledge differently from the rest of us. Instead of organizing knowledge into separate disciplines or fields, they use mental models. ^288851116 --- Collective human knowledge has been growing exponentially at a faster rate than our ability to process it for a long time ^288851117 --- These feeds are designed for one thing: Keep your attention for as long as possible in the short-term and long-term. This business model is fundamentally conflicted with our own life goals. ^288851118 --- One lineage of solutions has been knowledge formats that have a higher value-density: ^288851119 --- If we don’t take it upon ourselves to learn the skills to manage the online environment, teach those we love, and spread this knowledge to everyone, I fear that society will become even more polarized. ^288851120 --- some people are living in an info-apocalypse and others are living in an info-utopia. ^288851121 --- As it relates to information overload, it includes:Understanding the scientific method in order to identify high quality information. My favorite resource on this is The Beginning Of Infinity.Understanding the value of diverse knowledge. I write about this in People Who Have “Too Many Interests” Are More Likely To Be Successful According To Research.Understanding the cognitive biases that lead to us trusting information we shouldn’t (e.g., confirmation bias, backfire effect, Dunning-Kruger Effect, halo effect, ingroup bias)Learning how to learn is much larger topic, but these bullet points give you a place to start. ^288851122 --- And, it scares me to think that the disparity online might be even larger than the physical world. While everyone with the Internet has equal access, not everyone has an equal understanding of how to use that access ^288851123 # While Everyone Is Distracted by Social Media, Successful People Double Down on an Underrated Skill ![rw-book-cover](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article2.74d541386bbf.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[Michael Simmons]] - Full Title: While Everyone Is Distracted by Social Media, Successful People Double Down on an Underrated Skill - Category: #articles - URL: https://medium.com/accelerated-intelligence/while-everyone-is-distracted-by-social-media-successful-people-double-down-on-a-totally-underrated-5a86701e9a27 ## Highlights - How do we use the limited time we have to find breakthrough knowledge in a sea of distraction? - Right now, somewhere out in the world is a paragraph, chapter, or book that would change your life forever if you read it. I call this kind of information “breakthrough knowledge,” and mastering the ability to find breakthrough knowledge in our era of information overload is one of the most important skills we can develop. - My most recent quake book was Poor Charlie’s Almanack, written by self-made billionaire Charlie Munger. This was the first book that exposed me to mental models - Each new group develops its own language and culture. While this improves communication inside the group, it makes it harder for knowledge to travel in or out, because it must be linguistically and culturally translated first. - Info-Apocalypse Problem 1: Content Shock“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention …” ―Herbert A. Simon - Quake books are rare, but one is worth a thousand merely good books. - Although we think of information overload as one big problem, it actually consists of four problems that are each getting exponentially worse, and that together add up to one big crisis - As groups grow in size, they become less stable and more diverse, eventually fracturing into subgroups. - As inventor Charles Kettering once said, “A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved.” - more content is added to the pile every second of every day. The gap between this total collective human knowledge and our time to consume it grows larger every second. - The four problems that make up the Info-Apocalypse are:Content ShockEcho ChambersConstant DistractionFOMO (Fear of Missing Out) - “The information we consume matters just as much as the food we put in our body. It affects our thinking, our behavior, how we understand our place in the world. And how we understand others.” — Evan Williams, Co-Founder of Twitter and Medium - the average person who is not deliberate will tend toward a media diet of “junk food.” - many people living on “junk food” media diets think they’re getting more informed and smarter when the opposite is happening. - I can swear off Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube as much as I’d like, but each of these is also where I do work to build my busines - We cannot passively have faith in the stream on our news feeds, default settings, and notifications to guide us. The companies that control these do not have our best interests in mind, and they have broken the public trust. - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us. - Each group lives in its own echo chamber, which it believes is the “true” reality, and it fights to maintain this belief by demonizing other groups. - Or I can literally sign up for an $180 all-access pass on Masterclass and learn directing from Ron Howard, screenwriting from Aaron Sorkin, or filmmaking from Martin Scorsese. - And in an age of social media and targeted, personalized content, these echo chambers become even more insular (see The Filter Bubble for more on this), as we’re exposed to less and less information outside our own chosen groups. - Info-Apocalypse Problem 3: Constant Distraction - Too many good options combined with not enough foreknowledge on which is best means we’re constantly second-guessing our choices - To those who are not deliberate, the Internet looks more and more like an information desert: full of mostly junk information. - They have developed business models based on advertising — or spreading misinformation — to get the maximum number of clicks for the least amount of effort. - Let’s say I want to learn videography. Twenty years ago, I would’ve had to find a local class or read a book. Today, I can go on to YouTube and sort through one of the 277,000 results that come up for “learn videography.” - Should we read a book on data science or artificial intelligence in order to future-proof our careers? Should we touch up on our communication skills so we can be a better leader? Or should we read the latest workout research, diet book, or parenting guide to take our personal life to the next level? All of these areas are important, and comparing them can feel like comparing apples to oranges to almonds. - Info-Apocalypse Problem 4: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) - “If you think this is addictive, just wait until five years from now.” - This content is marketed specifically to our own inclinations, which proves a powerful distraction that can keep us from pursuing more useful information or our own goals. - if we’re careful about what we consume — we actually live in an information utopia. - What makes it overwhelming is not the number of options; it’s the number of good options. Letting go of good options is painful to humans. It’s called loss aversion. - a significant percent of humanity may be looking at life through augmented virtual-reality glasses or contact lenses, which will make the problem even worse. - People who learn to access breakthrough knowledge quickly while minimizing the noise have a huge advantage over others. - Science grows by what is proven wrong, not what is proven right. - Few people even realize that learning how to learn is its own distinct skill set. As a result, they don’t improve. - Disconfirming evidence — evidence that proves your existing ideas wrong — is exponentially more valuable than confirming evidence - Info-Apocalypse Solution 3: Learn How to Learn - distinguishing between incremental knowledge and breakthrough knowledge. Once you know what you’re really looking for, it’s easier to find it. - Breakthrough knowledge, on the other hand, challenges our fundamental beliefs about how the world works or introduces a new lens through which to see the world. It sticks with us. - This power question helps me avoid mindlessly consuming content because it has a good title, shows up in my newsfeed, and just sounds sort of interesting. - When you learn mental models, you begin to see the underlying patterns at work in every area of life, and it becomes much easier to spot the signal in the noise - Hundreds of years ago, the idea that the sun orbited the Earth was obvious and a closed case. Although, the notion that the Earth revolves around the Sun had been proposed as early as the 3rd century BC, the idea had never received a lot of attention. - What is the use of having countless books and libraries, whose titles their owners can scarcely read through in a whole lifetime? The learner is not instructed, but burdened by the mass of them - One piece of disconfirming evidence can be worth a million pieces of confirming evidence just like one breakthrough knowledge book can be worth more than 100 incremental knowledge books. - Incremental knowledge further confirms what we already know to be true. It is reading yet another book on marketing, when we’ve already read twenty. It is an interesting tidbit that temporarily entertains, but is quickly forgotten. - Info-Apocalypse Solution 1: Ask The Magic Question In Order To Filter Breakthrough Knowledge From Incremental Knowledge - Philosophers, thinkers, and intellectuals have commented on information overwhelm since - If you’re just learning about mental models for the first time, my free email course will help you get started. My team and I have spent dozens of hours creating it. Inside, you’ll learn the top mental models that the most successful entrepreneurs in the world use to make life and business decisions. You’ll also learn how to naturally use these models in your everyday life. - Another example of a mental model is Opportunity Cost, which is the value of the choice of a best alternative cost while making a decision - Does this have the potential to fundamentally change my life? - But there’s a way to learn that’s even more condensed than field summaries. It’s called mental models. - This ultimately led me to do a deep dive on mental models. Mental models are representations of phenomena that have been observed across time, across fields of study, and across domains of life. In my opinion, they deliver the most knowledge value because:The knowledge they impart is much more condensed than book summaries or even field summaries.They retain their value over time (and even increase it).They are broadly applicable across fields. - many of the smartest entrepreneurs in the world structure their knowledge differently from the rest of us. Instead of organizing knowledge into separate disciplines or fields, they use mental models. - Collective human knowledge has been growing exponentially at a faster rate than our ability to process it for a long time - These feeds are designed for one thing: Keep your attention for as long as possible in the short-term and long-term. This business model is fundamentally conflicted with our own life goals. - One lineage of solutions has been knowledge formats that have a higher value-density: - If we don’t take it upon ourselves to learn the skills to manage the online environment, teach those we love, and spread this knowledge to everyone, I fear that society will become even more polarized. - some people are living in an info-apocalypse and others are living in an info-utopia. - As it relates to information overload, it includes:Understanding the scientific method in order to identify high quality information. My favorite resource on this is The Beginning Of Infinity.Understanding the value of diverse knowledge. I write about this in People Who Have “Too Many Interests” Are More Likely To Be Successful According To Research.Understanding the cognitive biases that lead to us trusting information we shouldn’t (e.g., confirmation bias, backfire effect, Dunning-Kruger Effect, halo effect, ingroup bias)Learning how to learn is much larger topic, but these bullet points give you a place to start. - And, it scares me to think that the disparity online might be even larger than the physical world. While everyone with the Internet has equal access, not everyone has an equal understanding of how to use that access