There was an interesting article by Lee Gomes in Wednesdays Wall Street Journal trying to get at why we can’t not (sorry for the double negative) stop soaking up all the data the web has to offer. He likens this to a cats absolute fascination with laser pointers:

Many cat owners know that the lasers are the easiest way to keep the pet amused. The cats will ceaselessly, maniacally chase it as it’s beamed about the room, literally climbing the walls to capture what they surely regard as some form of ultimate prey.

Obviously, cats are hard-wired to hunt down small, bright objects, like birds. But since nothing in nature is as bright as a laser, they are powerless to resist its charms.

Much like we’re powerless to resist the charms of the internet? I’m going to have to agree with him. I mean, the internet DID give me this spectacular photo:

This is what Google Images spits back at you when you search for “laser and cats”. This ladies and gentlemen is one of the main reasons I love that internet. This and reading comment threads of Fark.com. I’m getting off track here…

Gome continues his point:

Cats and lasers are useful in explaining some of the more addictive aspects of Web use, including a recent occurrence on the site for Andrew Sullivan, a popular political blogger. Mr. Sullivan’s blog doesn’t follow the standard practice of making room for readers to add their own comments after each blog item. Curious if he should change his policy, he put the question to a vote.

Readers responded 60-40 against allowing comments. Even more striking than the fact that these readers were denying themselves a voice was the reason some of them gave for declining the offer: Like cats chasing a laser, they wouldn’t be able to stop themselves.

In truth we would rarely opt not to read them,” said one reader. “Blog comments have the power to hammerlock one’s attention. … We’d be impotent to resist looking over the rantings and counter-rantings. … Not only would comments be an incredible drain on one’s time (especially if we check your blog several times a day from work), but it also exposes readers to the nasty underbelly of blogging.

Interesting perspective isn’t it? I’m definitely guilty of waisting time “lurking” on message boards and comment threads. You may even call it a past time of mine. I just thought it was fascinating that in this hyper-connected and open world, a group of people would collectively opt to have their voices stripped from  them, if only from a political blog.

The article goes on to discuss what can make a website “irresistible.”  When a researcher showed different pictures to subjects they preferred pictures that had a good “vantage on a landscape and an element of mystery. In one way or another…they all presented new information that somehow needed to be interpreted.”

That right there speaks volumes. Give the article a read…I’d love to know what you think.