In this challenge, you will be considering the production of information, and also learning more about information curation.

First, consider this astonishing fact:

Every two days, we create as much information as was created from the beginning of humankind through 2003.

Really think about this—consider the revolutionary changes in information production and dissemination that came with the Renaissance—the invention of the printing press—the Age of Enlightenment—the invention of radio and of television. Yet all the information that was created through all these and intervening periods is now equaled by that which is created in just two days.

This data was shared by the then-CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, in 2010. It is possible that the situation has changed a bit since that time, or the figure wasn’t absolutely precise back when he mentioned it. But the general idea is astonishing enough. Schmidt explained that user-generated content is what is driving the increase. User-generated—that means we are producing it. We are posting on Facebook and other social media sites, texting, tweeting, taking pictures and more.

How does one find one’s way through this mass of information? According to Daniel Pink, "In the old days, our challenge was accessing information. These days, our challenge is curating it." That’s exactly what you’ll be delving into in this challenge.

In this challenge, you’ve not only thought about content curation, you’ve tried your hand at curating. You’ve considered the relationship between creation and production, and how you can make your curated products more valuable to interested individuals.

Business owners are often advised to curate content for customers for marketing purposes. This may help their customers, but it also helps the business.

For this activity, think about another sector that could provide a service by curating content.

Identify the sector (something other than business) and then write a persuasive rationale (aim for 2-3 substantive paragraphs) to members of this sector:

• Why should they want to curate content;

• Types of information to curate; and

• How would it help key stakeholders/the public;

Include:

• Some examples of curated content from the sector you selected (you’ll be doing some strategic searching for this information).

• Some advice based on what you learned about curating content.