We all suffer from information overload
Consider the fact that iPhone was launched in 2006, Facebook is from 2004, YouTube from 2005, Twitter from 2006, and Instagram from 2010. Time flies by, in the last 10 to 15 years, our lives were drastically impacted by the spread of technology (I can't even remember a life pre-Google Maps), and, specifically, information technology.
We went from one-screen desktop PCs, cable TV, dumb phones, and SMS to hyper capable smartphones and multi-screens (or ultrawides) desktops, social networks, live streaming, and instant messaging in a short period, considering the "regular" pace of innovation pre-internet.
The biggest casualty of this significant change is our attention. A wealth of information causes the poverty of attention. The rise in attention deficit disorder and anxiety are just symptoms of information overload and an ever-faster changing landscape for basically everything that information technology is disrupting (health techs, fintechs, law techs, etc. techs).
How are you handling that?
Have you ever wondered how many e-mails, push notifications, tweets, news, articles you are consuming every day? Ask yourself if that consumption grew compared to last year? And the year before that? Is it by any chance increasing every year since your first smartphone? If you are one the few that has stabilized or decreased that, I figure you either consciously put an effort to achieve that or had a major change of lifestyle.
Now ask yourself this: how much of it is a bad thing? Maybe all of that made you more connected to people you care about, better at your job, more informed, and more entertained. Information acts as a double-edged sword; there's a delicate balance between what's productive and enriching and what's overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. Putting an effort to take back control is not only important, but it is even fundamental to preserve your mental health without isolating yourself from the world.
To improve that situation, you need to tackle what, how, and where you consume information.
What
Do algorithms dictate everything you see? Are you consuming ideologically biased information? Are you missing information that you would otherwise like to follow?
When
Are you drowning in notifications? No separation between work and life? Constantly accessing the same site or social network throughout the day?
How
Too many browser tabs open? Too many social networks? A multitude of apps? Ever caught yourself reading something that you wouldn't otherwise?
Manifesto
Here's what we believe in and will move mountains to get there and help anyone who shares our values and ideals.
Self-improvement
You can do more, know more, and be more productive. Information is power; it enables you to make better decisions. With the right setup, information becomes knowledge more often, and you stop fighting connectivity to start embracing it. When you decide when, what and how you consume information, you take control of an essential aspect of your life, and higher productivity is the main consequence. The amount of time you'll need to get informed will be drastically reduced, and you'll soon know more in less time.
Organization and customization are key
Organizing things, be they physical or digital, is a very personal matter. What seems disorganized to one is organized to the other; each one has a very personal system to produce order out of chaos. That's why we believe that organization and customization go hand-to-hand. One of the key aspects of Fluxonaut is the ability to organize your information flow in one place and, in order to help you get there, we put a lot of effort into allowing you to customize your experience. Make a symmetrical layout of windows or not, color them differently, use the entire screen or just part of it, create filters and highlights, save stuff for later, and much more. We'll help you reach information nirvana.
Multiple screens = Increased productivity
Are you reading this on a one-screen desktop? If so, you need to consider spending some bucks on getting yourself a second screen. It might seem like too much, but consuming information is just like exercising, you start slow, and before you know you are lifting the triple of what you used to. Regarding Fluxonaut, having more screen real estate translates to a better experience directly. Have you ever seen those setups used by financial market traders? Those usually happen organically, they start with two screens, and before they know it, six screens surround them. This is a result of mapping; when you start mapping out your flows throughout your screens, you start associating a place with a type of content, and suddenly you start becoming ultra-fast in taking in information. What it used to take you a full hour to check/read, now takes only five to ten minutes.
Switch from active to passive information consumption
One of the reasons that information can make you more stressed and anxious is that, in order to stay informed, most people engage in active information consumption. I'll describe some examples of what I mean by active information consumption:
- Using Google to know about major/breaking news
- Visiting the same site/social network multiple times on the same day
- Opening an absurd amount of browser tabs
- Checking your phone constantly (for news, social media or messaging)
These are all anxiety-inducing activities. Has something new popped, did I miss it, for how long? How and when will I finish to get through that many open tabs? Was my message answered? Not only they produce anxiety, but they also are very inefficient timewise. If you stop to take stock of how much time you spend every day doing that, you'd be surprised. In a nutshell, you need to make the information flow to you002C on your terms, with your rules, aggregated and organized with what you want to see.
Understand the flow
The name, Fluxonaut, is derived from the words flux - flow in Latin, representing the flow of information - and naut - which means sailor, navigator. Hence, we are the navigator of the flow of information. Perhaps this is one of our greatest goals, to spread the importance of paying attention to the flow of information and not just the information itself. The meta about information is, well, full of information. How fast something spreads through different publishers, influencers, and friends? What are the different optics presented from the same fact? Who are the opinion-makers? What type of events produces certain reactions? How viral is something? After you've switched to passive consumption and spread your many flows through your screens’ real estate, everything starts becoming more clear. You'll slowly begin understanding how the flow of information happens, and I must say it's very enlightening. It makes you smarter and less prone to manipulation; you are in the loop without the risk of being a pawn in the war for attention and influence.
Privacy is not a luxury
Privacy is a right. Your data is safe with us. We don't display ads on Fluxonaut and don't intend to. Our business is subscription-based and doesn't rely on income from selling your data. We believe that everyone wins with this approach; we'll add value to your life, and you'll add value to ours in exchange—respectful and straightforward, period.
Financial savviness
The world of finance is being disrupted for the better. The middlemen are being cut, financial education is being spread, and fintechs are democratizing services and access to what was once exclusive to people with large pockets. A strong goal within our team is that you can and should strive to manage your finances better. Information and raw data are crucial to decision making involving investments, and we'll always strive to keep bringing you more data and features to keep you safe from the sharks.
Information is humanity’s glue
The amount of content produced on a daily basis is mind-blowing. It will increase. Digital inclusion is still ongoing in many parts of the world, and the younger generations are already born into hyperconnectivity. If you are over 30, you are a dinosaur in the sense that you can't simply grasp what it is to be born in this world (yes, I'm one too). Your childhood was based on a cable-less-TV-with-phones-through-landlines world. Today's youngsters are quite different from your time in that sense. Their relationship with technology and information is developed from age zero when they see their parents constantly looking at their phones and doing video calls with their grandparents. They will produce more information than we can imagine. It is only the natural course; information is what glues humanity; the ability to rationalize it and communicate it is what separates us from animals. Having said that, we are facing a problem with our relationship with information, its exponential growth caught us off guard, and we haven't fully adapted to it as a society. We exist to help you with that, to be even better, to know more and, especially, to connect with information on your terms.
