

Stop Documenting, Start Experiencing - dmitriy_ko
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/04/stop_documenting_start_experienc.html

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jacobolus
This is something I always noticed sitting in lectures trying my best to
listen (and writing occasional brief notes) while other students attempted to
scribble as much content as they could into their notebooks. I think one of
the main reasons that lectures are pedagogically terrible (that is, don’t lead
to the learning they are supposed to) is that student audiences are too
worried about writing things down to think about what it means.

~~~
dcminter
If I write something down I'm far more likely to remember it than if I just
sit back and listen. I never actually read my notes at university - they were
purely to help me fix things in my mind. It drove me crazy when a lecturer
forbade us from writing "because there are handouts."

You shouldn't assume that other people's learning mechanisms are the same as
yours.

------
drostie
It seems so strange that those that own a computer, though they are the
neatest of folks, keep desktops which to me evoke a big litter of icons
chaotically strewn. And picture folders seldom rise much above this low bar, a
numerical swarm of filenames which never can perform their old duty of
bringing some peace to our eyes. That we might break these habits which haunt
us, I offer some simple advice. In this case, as in life, I think it is wise:
to give up those things we neither need nor want.

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enginous
If Project Glass or its competing initiatives ever turn into a usable reality,
perhaps we don't have to make the tradeoff between experiencing and
documenting. (Even if it might be strange to wear those to your wedding.)

Maybe a strong MVP of head-mounted displays would focus on capturing and
sharing, be it from Google or anyone else.

~~~
simondlr
But then more documenting is happening, increasing overload for the recipients
on the other end?

I find Project Glass and similar devices rather interesting. Google claims
that it decreases the friction of having to "document" and "interact" with
tech. If it makes it easier, then won't that just flood social networks? And
having these benefits constantly available will be taxing for most users (ie
paradox of choice).

What do you think?

~~~
enginous
I think it's a valid concern, but I'm not certain it would be a problem.

The social networks are already pretty good algorithmic filtering --
displaying to users what's relevant and interesting to them -- and they'll
likely become better. In fact, if I had to guess whether Facebook was in more
need of better content or better filtering at this moment, my guess would be
on the content side. (But this is hard to evaluate as a user: how would I ever
know if I'm missing great content due to bad filtering?)

What worries me a lot more is the prospect of everyone becoming a walking
camera. I can hardly have an honest session of drunk karaoke without someone
filming it on their smartphone. I wonder if I'd ever do anything if everyone
carried cameras on their head.

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jowiar
This is not a new thought. From Rent (Jonathan Larson, 1996):

\---

Roger: Mark hides in his work

Mark: From what?

Roger: From facing your failure, facing your loneliness, facing the fact you
live a lie. Yes, you live a lie. Tell you why. You're always preaching not to
be numb, when that's how you thrive. You pretend to create and observe, when
you really detach from feeling alive.

Mark: Perhaps it's because I'm the one of us to survive.

\---

For those unfamiliar with Rent, Mark is a documentary filmmaker who constantly
has the camera rolling. To a great extent, technology has turned all of us
into that, and Larson's observations apply.

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cnbeuiwx
What if Facebook suddenly just crashed? People all over the world would look
up from their screens and start seeing reality again...

I cant go into public without seeing people staring into their devices. Its
kind of interesting to notice how much like sheep people are. :)

~~~
knewter
Sheep have iphones?

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mad44
Thanks for documenting this experience for us to ponder on as well.

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5vforest
As with many things, this is all about finding a healthy balance between the
two.

+1 on the article for expressing something I've also thought about recently.

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joedev
Some of the best story-tellers and happiest people I know take few pictures
and have little twitter or Facebook presence.

In order to truly experience something at the level where you can recount it
for the rest of your life, you have to be in the moment - not worried about
documenting the moment.

------
sylvanaar
Experience is fleeting. To the photograph analogy - having photographs lets
you perceive time more slowly since you forget less of it.

------
nathanpc
Awesome article, but I'll continue to document.

~~~
dmitriy_ko
The documentation will come handy when you are 80 and have nothing to do but
look back at your life.

~~~
rytis
Why would one not have anything to do at the age of 80 (I'm not speaking about
physical and/or mental disabilities here)?

Sure, there are people who would just sit there and do nothing, but anyone
more creative should not see the age as a show-stopper. Couple of examples I
have at hand, my father and my uncle, both around the above mentioned age, but
fairly active in their fields (science and architecture). Not that they need
to do it, they have already earned their fair share, it's just that they
simply enjoy doing it. As opposed to sitting and doing nothing...

Anyway, my point is, why 'document' while you're young and then try to 're-
live' the experience, if you could 'enjoy' while you're young and do something
else enjoyable when you're older?

