A person will find more information in one newspaper today than he or she would gather in his/her entire lifetime in the 17th Century.

This was posted during a news feed during Blue Man Group’s How to Be a Rock Star 2.0 tour, and it’s echoed here. Let that sentence sink in for a moment — it’s kind of hard to wrap your head around that concept, isn’t it? I mean, how could we have reached an era where our daily intake of information surpasses that of another human’s entire lifetime? Welcome to the age of information inundation.

The sheer volume of data circulating the world can be a little overwhelming at times; especially when it comes to discerning accuracy, relevancy to one’s needs and recency. That’s where information architecture comes in. These technological architects give shape and form to this knotted jumble of data, aggregating and organizing it all for the average joe’s convenience.

Still not sold on the concept? This video should clarify Information Architecture’s role in society:

As you can see, thanks to today’s emerging technologies, we can transform this wealth of information into a set of bridges that connect people. By allowing for greater accessibility, that terrifying mountain of data suddenly seems more like a ladder — one that educates the masses and ultimately allows for a dialogue of ideas to pass through it. We’re simplifying the esoteric, circulating information so that higher education is more available to everyone. Are you ready to be the pulse of the world?