上學的時候，我們學過一句英語諺語“Jack of all trades, master of none”，說的是Jack這個孩子什麼都懂一點，但每樣都不精通。老師教育我們說做事情要專注，要刨根究底，知其然，還要知其所以然。誰知，到了偉大的 21世紀，Jack小朋友又跑出來了，而且同伴還不少呢。
With the development of the Internet and other sources of instantaneous information, many people strive to gain at least a working knowledge of many different subjects. They are so-called “pancake people”, they no longer concentrate their energies on one area of interest, but instead choose to spread themselves thinly over a large area. As a result, a new generation of pancake people have essentially become the proverbial jacks of all trades, but masters of none.
隨著網路和各種資訊渠道的發展，很多人都力求在各個不同領域都至少獲得一些基本的操作知識。他們就是所謂的“煎餅人”，他們不再將精力專注于某一個感興趣的領域，而是讓自己的關注點淺淺地散佈在一個很大的範圍。由此，新一代的“煎餅人”就真的成諺語裏說的“門門通，門門松”了。
The term “pancake people” is largely seen as a negative commentary on the current age of instantaneous information. The ability to access even the most obscure information in a matter of seconds may be seen as a positive social development on one level, but it can also cause some people to become less inclined to delve more deeply into one particular subject of interest. As a result, a generation of overloaded pancake people may become more obsessed with popular culture and less interested in the larger arc of human history.
在當前這個即時資訊時代，“煎餅人”這個詞很大程度上被看作是一個貶義詞。在幾秒內獲得稀缺資訊的能力可能是社會發展積極的一方面，但同時也會讓一些人不願意深究某一個感興趣的主題。結果，這一代資訊過量的“煎餅人”可能會對流行文化過分沉迷，而對人類歷史的更廣泛領域卻鮮有興致。