What differentiates humans from animals? Beyond the obvious physical traits, I would argue that our ability to imagine abstract thoughts is the spark that created our world. In our minds, we can "see" things that do not exist in the physical realm. It's pretty magical when you stop to think about it. I have never seen the dodo bird, but I know what it looked like, how it lived and what caused its extinction. I even know when it happened, thanks to the books I've read and the people I've spoken with. As for a more practical example, I use maps every day of my life on my phone. Based on these images and information, I know which way to drive to work to avoid traffic and how long my journey will take. I am a consumer of information. We all are. We are also all producers of information.
What does it take to be a successful communicator?
In the past few months, there has been much fanfare about Twitter's imminent demise. However, this has coincided with an unrelated resurgent interest in the medium on my part. At this point, I would hardly consider Twitter to be a doomed phenomenon, not least because it still feels fun and exciting. I feel the same sense of adventure and possibility that I did a few years ago, every time I aim to encapsulate a thought in 140 characters or fewer, and I have come to the conclusion that there's only one way to really save the company: find a way to block all the annoying bots.