where most of the noise seems to come from

Jul 25, 2024

When you’re on the Internet a lot, you tend to notice certain things. What we notice may be influenced by our own viewpoints, of course — and may also be influenced by our age because different generations prefer different platforms of influence.

I’m sure there are studies out there with “real data” that would prove my observations right or wrong — but this is a place where I share my thoughts. 🙂

It seems to me most Internet noise comes from two sources.

Looking at what’s currently going on in the US — from the anti-Israel protests and the assassination attempt on Trump, to the presidential campaign and everything in between — the groups I see making the most noise are:

  1. Younger millennials and older Gen Z’s form one group on the left.
  2. Mid-range Boomers on the right.

That leaves a whole lot of people in the middle… especially when you count the wishy-washy people from those two noisy groups (me included).

Finding balance is a challenge.

It’s difficult to cancel out the noise and not get caught up in it. It’s hard to be informed and not consumed sometimes. That’s why I’m sharing a horrible photo from one of our security cameras of two babies playing in the yard… to remind myself that neither extreme represents me.

2 baby deer in my yard

Now you know: The only scientific paper ever published by Bill Gates was a possible solution to a mathematical problem about pancake flipping.