Many of Bush’s speculations about the nature of the technology of the future in his article “As We May Think” have come to fruition; his insight is particularly impressive given that the article was written 67 years ago.  Though some of his examples (like the section on photography) are written in very technical language that might not be accessible to many modern readers, his imagined “memex” should resonate almost immediately with all of us—Bush’s idea is extremely similar to our modern computer.

Though Bush spends a great deal of time reflecting on possible technological advances of the future, he also explores the consequences of these new inventions, which was what I found to be the most interesting part of his article.  Before writing about the “memex”, Bush observed that “There is a growing mountain of research…The investigator is staggered by the findings and conclusions of thousands of other workers—conclusions which he cannot find time to grasp, much less to remember, as they appear.” Later, he also remarked that “Truly significant attainments [can] become lost in the mass of the inconsequential…The difficulty seems to be, not so much that we publish unduly in view of the extent and variety of present day interests, but rather that publication has been extended far beyond our present ability to make real use of the record”.  When Bush wrote this article, a researcher might have spent weeks perusing the shelves of various libraries to find sources he needed and still might have missed a book that could have been of great importance simply because of the sheer volume of works available or because he was unaware that a particular work even existed. Now (though he still hopefully uses the library!), a researcher can conduct an online search that can help him narrow his search criteria and become familiar with the newest research and publications on his topic.

And yet, the modern researcher is also bound to miss information relevant to his search—he simply has the ability to be made aware of more significant material than ever before. The problem that Bush’s researcher faced has not disappeared with the advent of the internet and computer—so much information is now available in one place that the modern researcher also needs to discover how to efficiently find and utilize information that is of importance to him.

Bush suggested that the most effective way of organizing and manipulating information would be through a process of indexing by association, as the human brain does.  The “memex” would allow a man to link items which he saw as related by saving them together and by making marginal notes that could connect one article or photograph with another.  Grouping by association has become commonplace today, particularly through social media, where links to videos, blogs, and articles can be shared with others (often in response to something they have said or posted).  Association is also customary in search engines like Google and Bing, which suggest related searches while providing information regarding their users’ initial queries. It’s prevalent in internet advertising, too; some websites tailor the advertisements on their pages based on a person’s previous searches or on the content he’s viewing at that moment.  Perhaps the most obvious examples of association are links found in online articles to relevant articles on other websites.

In addition to association, another way that modern man streamlines his viewing of the vast content of the internet is through RSS readers like Google Reader that allow him to subscribe to websites he deems important, so that all new information from the various sites comes to him in one location.  Whether subscribing to a variety of sites for enjoyment’s sake or following a group of related academic sites for the latest breakthroughs, I believe Bush’s 1945 prediction is true today:

There is a new profession of trailblazers, those who find delight in the task of establishing useful trails through the enormous mass of the common record. The inheritance from the master becomes, not only his additions to the world’s record, but for his disciples the entire scaffolding by which they were erected.

Bush’s optimistic view of the benefits of technological advancements for society suggest that the intellectual scaffolding created by today’s scientists, inventors, and researchers will allow man to “grow in the wisdom of race experience”.  Only time will tell if this one of Bush’s predictions was accurate.