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SALT LAKE CITY -- It seems like everyone's got an opinion about technology and the flow of information these days, from President Obama who said, "Information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment rather than a tool of empowerment," to Betty White, who said, "I didn't know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say it sounds like a huge waste of time."
We've known that new information, significant or not, can be distracting. BYU Psychology and Neuroscience professor Scott Steffensen says it is harder for the brain to recall important information as a steady stream of trivial factoids comes in.
"We know the process of learning and forgetting are equally as important," he says.
But are things like Facebook and Twitter a waste of time? Some tech analysts would beg to differ with Betty White.
Politis Communications President David Politis says, "There are businesses that are generating good money and paying tax dollars and keeping people out of the unemployment line [and] they're just focused on social media and social networking."
Politis advises his business clients to actually add more of these services. Businesses need a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, even a dedicated YouTube channel. But, if you had to pick just one social media site for personal use, which does he recommend? Facebook.
"If all you want to do stay connected with your children, your brothers, your sisters, your parents, your aunts and uncles, your nephews, your friends from high school, you could do that. You could limit it to just that," he says.
Which is the best social networking site to cut first if you're looking to declutter your digital life?
"Myspace. No question. Myspace is all about sex, drugs and rock and roll today," Politis says.
There are many companies built around the fact that managing all of the social media we sign up to receive can be overwhelming. SocialToo helps people manage their Facebook and Twitter accounts in one step instead of two. Sites like FriendFeed do the same.
Second Brain reportedly lets you keep all of your files, bookmarks and other content in one place.
Perhaps the right networking site for you isn't a social site at all. The Utah-based Jibber Jobber helps you organize everything you need for your job search. Site creator Jason Alba says other professional sites like LinkedIn have become too cluttered and noisy.
"The major difference between the social networks and my site is that my site is not social," he explains.
Alba says if he were to open up his site to personal blogs or group discussions, the amount of clutter and spam would skyrocket.
"Some people would come in and say, ‘You know, I used to come in here for these reasons, but it has become so noisy that I get no value out of it anymore," he says.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
