The last decade has been a gold rush of searching and gathering information on the Internet. Videos, news, personal information, and opinions are so prolific that the next decade will likely be more about filtering information than acquiring it. Consider Google Alerts, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest, Instagram and You Tube. These tools are all methods of consolidating massive amounts of information into tiny bites that can hold our attention. Suddenly what we don’t pay attention to has become more important than what we do pay attention to.
In a recent appearance with singer composer Roseanne Cash, my brother, Dan Levitin, a well-regarded neuroscientist and author, discusses why we like music so much. He describes the brain as a giant prediction machine. We look forward to our expectations being met within a song. We expect a certain note or rhythm and when our expectations are fulfilled, we’re rewarded.