10-26-2013, 10:10 PM
I am old enough to remember when information used to be a Scarcity.
you had to listen to the radio to get the latest news, or wait for a program to appear on televison. If you didn't have the book or encyclopedia at home, you had to make a trip to the library (if it was open and close enough) to look something up. Information came through very distinct media sources, and you had to wait for it.
how times have changed : )
- -
one of the big reasons why I got into computers at a young age (from about the time of the Commodore 64, didn't own one, but looked on as others 'loaded' their games via tape), was the promise it held for liberating information. Here was a 'new' way of distribution.
and so with the development of the pc, the mass arrival of mobile phone and dialup internet around 1994, adsl in the early 2000's, and 3g and 4g internet via your tablet or cellphone whereever you go around the world ... information is no longer scarce. You can find whatever you want (popular media speaking) on itunes, and watch on whatever device you happen to be on. You can look up definitions. You can keep up with the 'news'. Your social network is a continuing sea of events and funny pictures. The scarcity indeed is gone.
it is, rather, now a glut.
and much like there was a time when food was scarce and people stayed lean (the fat man was the rich man, as an archetype of old), these days, with mass food being cheap and easy, obesity is a surefire result.
and what happens when there is in information glut? what separates one source of information from another apart from its ability to entertain and titillate and occupy our mind for a while?
- -
it is a question worth considering (in my view). I am by no means suggesting that we return to some static ideal of the gatekeeper of media, where editors determined the 'quality sources' that would be published for wide distribution. Such a thing would not even be possible.
I think one of the reasons why the Ra Material is considered important and valuable by the members who turn up here (it being the one common attraction, really, of those who found their way here) is that in a sea of rather trivial and surface information, it actually penetrates the illusion of superficiality and actually has something to say. It speaks to more timeless elements. Or as Ra would term it - not transient information/questions/issues.
so in a world of information glut that we can scroll through endlessly and never feel fed or satisfied, there are places and voices which speak to things which are non-trivial.
in the end, its up to us as to where we allocate our attention. And its not all seriousness and dourness (just because you are being profound and meaningful doesn't mean that you are boring lol). There are skillful ways to do these things.
anyway, these are just a few thoughts that were triggered as I considered my current desktop setup with its multiple virtual desktops, all the information I have at my fingertips, and its immediate access if I want it.
these can be golden times if the information glut is navigated with discernment and skill.
anyway, most under-22 year olds will probably look askance and wonder what the hell I'm talking about
take care friends, and peace,
plenum
you had to listen to the radio to get the latest news, or wait for a program to appear on televison. If you didn't have the book or encyclopedia at home, you had to make a trip to the library (if it was open and close enough) to look something up. Information came through very distinct media sources, and you had to wait for it.
how times have changed : )
- -
one of the big reasons why I got into computers at a young age (from about the time of the Commodore 64, didn't own one, but looked on as others 'loaded' their games via tape), was the promise it held for liberating information. Here was a 'new' way of distribution.
and so with the development of the pc, the mass arrival of mobile phone and dialup internet around 1994, adsl in the early 2000's, and 3g and 4g internet via your tablet or cellphone whereever you go around the world ... information is no longer scarce. You can find whatever you want (popular media speaking) on itunes, and watch on whatever device you happen to be on. You can look up definitions. You can keep up with the 'news'. Your social network is a continuing sea of events and funny pictures. The scarcity indeed is gone.
it is, rather, now a glut.
and much like there was a time when food was scarce and people stayed lean (the fat man was the rich man, as an archetype of old), these days, with mass food being cheap and easy, obesity is a surefire result.
and what happens when there is in information glut? what separates one source of information from another apart from its ability to entertain and titillate and occupy our mind for a while?
- -
it is a question worth considering (in my view). I am by no means suggesting that we return to some static ideal of the gatekeeper of media, where editors determined the 'quality sources' that would be published for wide distribution. Such a thing would not even be possible.
I think one of the reasons why the Ra Material is considered important and valuable by the members who turn up here (it being the one common attraction, really, of those who found their way here) is that in a sea of rather trivial and surface information, it actually penetrates the illusion of superficiality and actually has something to say. It speaks to more timeless elements. Or as Ra would term it - not transient information/questions/issues.
so in a world of information glut that we can scroll through endlessly and never feel fed or satisfied, there are places and voices which speak to things which are non-trivial.
in the end, its up to us as to where we allocate our attention. And its not all seriousness and dourness (just because you are being profound and meaningful doesn't mean that you are boring lol). There are skillful ways to do these things.
anyway, these are just a few thoughts that were triggered as I considered my current desktop setup with its multiple virtual desktops, all the information I have at my fingertips, and its immediate access if I want it.
these can be golden times if the information glut is navigated with discernment and skill.
anyway, most under-22 year olds will probably look askance and wonder what the hell I'm talking about
take care friends, and peace,
plenum