Hungry for More?

In a world seemingly over-saturated with information, do we need to be hungry for more? Yes.  As a PR student and aspiring practitioner, my days are often spent conspicuously consuming information.  I am constantly checking my Twitter feed, news outlets, Google alerts and favorite blogs--and so is everyone else.  But are we doing enough?

Dan Edelman had a never ending hunger for information.  He would read The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, circling articles to give to colleagues, clients, or even his kids--and this was all before he left for a work day full of even more information consumption.  Reading this made me feel like I needed to bulk up on my reading and not feel so accomplished after getting through two articles before I finished my cereal.  A hunger for more information is absolutely essential to success in public relations.

Fred Cook of GolinHarris delivered a similar message three weeks ago at the PR Takes Flight panel discussion.  He encouraged the audience not only to consume as much information as possible, but to always step outside of your comfort zone and read something that you wouldn't usually read.  Instead of picking up a copy of Cosmo for the hundredth time, he encouraged us to reach for something unusual.  By doing something as simple as this, you can experience a different culture and get inside the minds of consumers that you may not yet be reaching.

After reading about Dan's affinity for newspapers and constantly consuming information and hearing Fred's encouragement to step outside of my comfort zone I decided to examine my personal information consumption habits. 

 I am now following yoga, extreme sports and animal activist groups on Twitter.  Last week I even picked up an issue of Shambhala Sun instead of opting for Vogue.  Sure some of it has been pretty weird, but the important thing is that I exposed myself to it.  By continuing to do this, I hope to expand my idea of diversity and be better equipped to reach beyond those who are in my comfort zone.

Sally McBratney is currently a junior at DePaul University majoring in Public Relations/Advertising with a minor in Studio Art.  You can contact her at sallymcbratney@gmail.com