DocAndersen
I brought up the concept of fragile information. Millions of dollars a year are spent protecting the information that is deemed in the fragile category. There is an entire world of anti-fragile information, but that isn’t what companies are trying to protect. Anti-fragile information works regardless. If you consider an author is publishing a book, the book is anti-fragile (within reason of course). In that negative press can achieve the original goal (sell more copies) of the book. Authors are unique in that presentation of anti-fragile information. You see companies don’t always have that luxury.
The formula for something the company owns is truly fragile information. Information that cannot be lost by the organization. Lose the information that is the formula for the soda that is your major product, and you lose market share. Lose market share, and eventually, you lose a company. Fragile information is information that cannot suffer the slings and arrows of bad press, but also would, pending its loss cause irreparable damage to the company. That reality that is information becomes a problem. For example, this blog, a presentation of ideas I have in the area of fragile and anti-fragile information. It is to a degree anti-fragile information. Anti-fragile to the point where comments that impact me, may hurt my feelings but also may increase the numbers of readers that read my blog, which is the primary goal.
The reality of our ability to functionally address the fragility or lack of fragility (anti-fragility) of information today is one of the reasons why we are still far from a true information age. In the information age, when it does finally make its appearance, there won’t be issues separating data into the various buckets. We will be able to say that all information lives into a system, and that system can change the delivery speed of the information based on the fragility or anti-fragility of the information. IE, anti-fragile information may have a longer response time allowable than fragile information. If we cannot deliver the information relative to a procedure that would save someone’s life quickly, it may cause the loss of a person’s life.
Information fragility is more than response time though. It is also the secure delivery of as my hero Bill Gates said many years ago “the right information at the right time to make good decisions.” The fragility of information can be sending the wrong information at the wrong time. Or the right information too late.
The dawn of the information age occurs when we solve these problems.
A company that produces a product that is supposed to be safe or used effectively needs to be accountable.
The same if a company promises a product that says this loses weight and loads poison in it’s pill solution.
Years ago saccharine was put into tablets to replace sugar.
To be honest, sugar is healthier than saccharine. Saccharine damages the pancreas.
Really, I think if you are going to sell a product, it should be safe to use, and an effective product. If it’s not, the truth then becomes, “Fragile”…
Pam, that is not something that I had considered previously. I am going to have to work in that theme. The fragility of information that is damaging because the organization is doing the wrong things!
Thanks you are right
As usual, you elucidated on the proper use of terminology…but true, information is simply problematic. There are people like me who are quite descriptive – that is the way our mind works and so we are sometimes amidst TMI trouble. Lol! Tweeted.
Yes, as writers sometimes it is to our value and favor to publish information. What we push out gains readers, not always because it is brilliant but because it stirs the pot.
And technology is continually changing. This must play a role as well.
Truly! The evolution of information and technology has flown past the goverance and rules we have now.
I think as long as humans are still standing above interests, power, and greed, such ideal things are very difficult to achieve. Even in an era where the internet connects everyone, entrepreneurs in all fields are still playing rough with the users. Like a wolf disguised as a cute sheep. As long as something is still a tool, there will always be parties to be used! It still takes a long time to be in the real information age!
Albert, you have captured an excellent theme here. Beyond information is the need for connection. I love it!
This is often the theme of intelligence movies is not it?
Yes, they are often about what can we steal and how do we steal it. The fragility of data remains a problem. As long as we don’t have systems that allow people to share information easily we remain on the other side of the information age, watching.