Is Real-Time Data Too Much Information?

Remember in The Matrix when information was displayed in code that fell across the screen?  It seemed impossible to understand.  Is the availability of information in real-time becoming equally difficult to understand?  Twitter is working on opening up real-time access to user streams through their API.  A beta version of TweetDeck has incorporated the real-time streams — does it give more information or too much?

Real-time Data

Here’s a video of what TweetDeck looks like with these real-time user streams from Twitter’s API (available in a beta version only):

(Thanks to Steven Hodson at The Inquisitr for mentioning this update and a link to the video.)

The Matrix of Code

To compare, here’s a version of The Matrix code:

Too Much Information?

Even without real-time streaming of information in Twitter, I already hardly ever look at my full feed.  I use filters and searches and lists to be able to see who and what I’m watching for — having real time data may speed up those searches but I don’t want the full set of data.

Does real-time data give us more information or too much? What do you think?

(photo by Gregory Tonon)

Tagged as: application programming interface, beta version, data, filters, matrix, matrix code, matrix series, more information, real time data, real-time web, required, twitter, useful, web 2.0, world wide web