PW Anderson made the statement in the early 70′s that “more is different”. Or, as a slight variation, David Gelernter has stated: ” 30. If you have three pet dogs, give them names. If you have 10,000 head of cattle, don’t bother.”
When considering the pace of information flow today, it makes sense that we need new skills, new attitudes, and new tools to function. What worked pre-internet for managing information will not work today. Little surprise then that trend watching/recognition is quickly becoming a field of value for educators, business leaders, and governments. Trendwatching’s monthly briefings are helpful in this regard. It is a well curated list of trends. If you’re interested in something a bit more chaotic, Trendsmap follows emerging Twitter topics. The curatorial and the visualization of emerging trends approach are first generation attempts at making sense of abundance. We need better tools that are somewhat tied to our context (i.e. search patterns, our interests, needs).