A)
6Job:01212 Title: Basics typography (AVA)
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Data pollution
As a result of the constant omnipresence of information
that surrounds us in digital as well as in real-life
environments, we are often too busy collecting data to
be able to select information, let alone to attribute any
meaning to it. If the elimination of time delays makes
this selection process impossible, information remains
random data. As discussed in the previous chapter,
meaning must be given to information by the information
recipient. Michael Heim, an American philosopher,
suggests a reciprocal relationship between information
density and the meaning perceived. The larger the
amount of information disclosed within a certain period
of time, the less signifi cant it is possible to be.
Information that remained undecoded or unrefl ected
due to lack of time constitutes meaningless data.
Meaningless information constitutes waste, and data
pollution is the result.‘Real time implies no waiting –
but in the real world, do we not
occasionally wait for things?’
Jessica HelfandJob:01212 Title: Basics typography (AVA)
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