Beyond Zero-Sum

It's easy to think everything's a zero-sum game. "If the rich get richer, then the poor must get poorer." Right? That's a prevalent example of zero-sum thinking. It's also false. When human beings are involved, things are (thankfully) much more complex.

The so-called paperless office is another example of fallacious zero-sum thinking. With the explosion of digital technology, experts have been predicting the imminent arrival of the paperless office. If we send memos electronically then we'll cut down on paper use. Right? Notably, in 2002, Abigail Sellen and Richard Harper exposed The Myth of the Paperless Office. We print more today than ever before.

Here's a new addition to the zero-sum folder. According to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, Generation Y, born between 1981–1995, uses libraries more than any other age group.

"These findings turn our thinking about libraries upside down ... Internet use seems to create an information hunger and it is information-savvy young people who are most likely to visit libraries."