Today I’m learning about StumbleUpon and Reddit, two social networks with which I really have had only passing contact in the past: StumbleUpon is on my list because it drives a good deal of traffic to a website with which I’m involved, and Reddit because it’s a favorite of my teen-aged son. In the spirit of StumbleUpon, though, that’s not really what this post is about. I actually want to share with you something else that I discovered in passing during my quest – in fact, something I stumbled upon with StumbleUpon. It’s a whackin’ cool infographic and video “The Internet in Real-Time”:

Take a look, and you’ll find a real-time aggregation of activity on many of the world’s largest websites. These include social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and – yes – StumbleUpon and Reddit, plus Google, Amazon, Netflix and other Internet giants. Wonder just how quickly videos are being added to or watched on YouTube? Here’s your answer. What does search volume on Google look like compared with ad revenue? Look no further. Interested in Twitter posts, Pinterest pins, or Yelp reviews? Wonder no more.

It’s an absolutely mesmerizing display of data, updating constantly. It’s a rabbit hole to go down, a looking glass to fall into; give yourself a little time to just be dazzled and let your mind wander. Who knows what thought processes it might inspire?

In that way, it’s a bit like StumbleUpon itself – a place to let yourself get distracted, set your mind wandering off on a tangent, and maybe learn something in the process.

Now it’s back to StumbleUpon for me. Happy Saturday!