The Future of the Future
Enough information already—
Bring on the Explanation Age

Every corporate memo, every piece of legislation, every treatment protocol for medicine or response protocol for first responders would benefit from the inclusion of an option outline. While one option may be the best choice under a certain set of circumstances, another could be quickly dusted off as changes in conditions warrant. This would align such artifacts with not only how humans think but also with the way a massively interconnected, fast-changing world works.

Explanation-based view

Education reform, healthcare, business innovation and transparency in policy making are not disconnected topics. Sense making has no domain barriers. More than ever we need to approach complex issues using an interface that provides a view of the thought process, not just the data. Building an explanation-based environment will do more than create a new type of web interface—it will help usher in a better way to navigate the continually rising ocean of zettabytes.

The information age has long overstayed its welcome. We have the World Wide What. It’s time for the World Wide Why. It’s time to launch The Explanation Age.

(IDC’s digital universe counter can be located at emc.com/leadership/programs/digital-universe.htm).