Information Diet

Clay Johnson states that, “we need to start formulating an information diet-what to consume and what to avoid-in this new world of information abundance” (Johnson, 6). The diet is not denying yourself information, but consuming the right information and developing healthy habits. There is not a government agency to monitor what information is put into the world and consumed by society. If this were the case, society would be like the Orwellian world that George Orwell depicts in the novel 1984. Also the regulations that would limit information would be breaking the first amendment to the United States Constitution. This is partially seen in China’s government with their networked authoritarianism.

Because we do not have any regulations on how to consume, it is on us to have a good information diet. Johnson suggests steps to move towards an information diet. One step to healthy information consumption is by being low-ad. You can be low-ad by consuming as few advertisements as possible. Ads are intended to draw our eyeballs to every piece of content, and are not the best information to store in the brain. Another way to head towards an information diet is by having a balance of information. By viewing a wide variety of material, and not just getting all information from one source, one’s diet can be improved. 
          I agree with Johnson's ideology about having a good information diet. This book has made me set my own diet to have a healthier intake of information. After reading this book in October, I have started to limit the amount of time I go on social media sites daily. I spend less time playing video game and more time reading the news and working on my course work. I am obtaining more good information and it is making me feel more productive.