Information Anxiety 2 (Hayden/Que) - Softcover

Wurman, Richard S

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789724103 ISBN 13: 9780789724106

Publisher: QUE, 2000

Synopsis

A follow up to the first edition, Information Anxiety 2 teaches critical lessons for functioning in today's Information Age. In this new book, Wurman examines how the Internet, desktop computing, and advances in digital technology have not simply enhanced access to information, but in fact have changed the way we live and work. In examining the sources of information anxiety, Wurman takes an in-depth look at how technological advances can hinder understanding and influence how business is conducted.

About this title

Review:

Information might want to be free, but why should we free it? We've got enough troubles keeping track of all the petabits running around untethered already, and we risk a computer counterrevolution if we let the situation get much crazier. Information architect Richard Saul Wurman swept the field clear in 1989 with his groundbreaking book foreseeing the problems of data clutter and proposing a radical new means of organising and presenting knowledge humanistically; he has substantially revised it for the new century as Information Anxiety 2.

This volume is sparklingly clear and readable and offers insight not only to designers, educators and content developers, but also to anyone who needs to communicate effectively through dense clouds of facts. If Wurman occasionally indulges in new-agey pop psychology, his analysis is never muddy and the more hard-headed reader will forgive him soon enough. The discussion alternates between describing the deeply stressful task of absorbing poorly organised data and exploring solutions that require a bit of rethinking but reward such an investment with improved understanding and, maybe, a state change from information to wisdom. We could do worse, and if we don't pay attention to Wurman and his colleagues, we almost certainly will. --Rob Lightner

About this edition

• Publisher: QUE
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0789724103
• ISBN 13: 9780789724106
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 350