“There is no such thing as information overload…only filter failure.” – Howard Lindzon

TinyLetter is dead. TinyLetter made it easy (and free) for individuals to send simple e-mail messages to their list. The reason it is worth noting the demise of TinyLetter is that it represented a way to send your thoughts and ideas into the world. 2018 will if, nothing else, need more people to thoughtfully filter the onrush of information.

More experts in their field are moving to set up subscription services to provide readers with in-depth analysis and commentary they can’t get elsewhere. Companies like Substack are moving to make this process seamless for publishers who just want to write and not worry about credit card payments. Other analysts are setting up good, old fashioned blogs to broadcast their analysis to the world. Some experienced bloggers are launching free e-mail newsletters to reach new audiences. So TinyLetter may be dead but there is no shortage of ways to reach an audience.

Robert Lefsetz at The Lefsetz Letter notes how we are all now fighting against widespread ‘disinformation.’ He writes:

Educate yourself. Gather information from both sides. Trust sources. That’s another thing the internet has eviscerated, experts, who were puffed up and feeling infallible until the internet revealed their flaws. Yes, we’ve pulled them down from their thrones but the truth is those who pay their dues and live in the trenches are worth listening to more than the playful pundit who is looking for likes.

The problem isn’t just disinformation but irrelevance. The biggest issue for many isn’t outright falsehoods but simply wasting time on content that simply doesn’t matter in the long (or short) run. The institutionalization of useless information has built big businesses. You can fight against this trend by finding great filters, whether they write a blog, write an e-mail newsletter or simply tweet from time-to-time.