The Chaos of Constant Connection? A while back I read this article in Newsweek by George Will. In it, Will warns us against the "chaos of constant connection. " The ubiquitous barrage of battery-powered stimuli delivered by phones, computers, and games makes “the chaos of constant connection” an addictive electronic narcotic. As continuous stimulation becomes the new normal, “gaps between moments of heightened stimulation” are disappearing; amusement “has squeezed the boredom out of life.” For the hyperstimulated, “the synaptic mindscape of daily life” becomes all peaks and no valleys. He's quoting the work of clinical psychologist Adam J.
“Unlike reading and listening to stories,” Cox warns, “the blitz of electronica doesn’t build deeper listening skills or a greater range of emotional expression.” Then I read this post from Andrew McAfee about how the connected habits of Millennials are benefting organizations. Older generations, McAfee says, don't share this intuition. So here are two views of the same phenomenon. Merchants of Culture: A Meditation on the Future of Publishing.
By Maria Popova What Gogol, Seth Godin and TED have to do with the fate of the written word. The year has barely begun and already it’s been a tremendously disruptive month for the publishing industry, with a number of noteworthy developments that bespeak a collective blend of optimism, fear and utter confusion about what the future holds for the written word as its purveyors try to make sense — and use — of digital platforms. Here are just a handful of important, potentially game-changing, events in the publishing world that took place in the past month alone: So what is all of this momentum building up to? That’s exactly what John B. Thompson explores in Merchants of Culture — a compelling and necessary new book about, well, books. Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter and people say it’s cool. Share on Tumblr. Are you a content consumer or creator? « Brian Solis Brian Solis.
InShare835 You’ll soon learn why I’m posting shorter, but more frequent posts…In the mean time, I wanted to share with you something I’ve been thinking quite a bit about these days. Think about the generation or two before us. A significant portion of free time was spent consuming media. From print to broadcast, everyday people simply digested information and content presented to them. You control the Information Age. There was and is something missing however. And while it’s not the same as generations before us, I wonder if we’re moving towards an era of consumption again, just under a new facade. In all honesty, the long form of content creation is under constant scrutiny and its value is continually questioned. You might disagree with me, but shortly after the iPad was released, I sold it. Who are you? What about you that some adore that we all need to experience? What can you teach us?
I believe in order for the social economy to thrive, it must balance creation and consumption. Tags: FT Magazine - War on the net. For a long time after its birth, just over two decades ago, Planet Cyber was dominated by the ideology of Kumbaya – everything about it spread joy. The web reunited long-lost school friends and lovers; it made us all smarter, shifted more product and even allowed us to revisit our childhood by watching TV shows on YouTube, such as Fireball XL5 or Champion the Wonder Horse.
It also appeared to confirm the west’s technological superiority, and for advocates of democracy, Kumbaya promised a new era of political change: dictators would surely cower in the face of citizens now able to chat freely about their ghastly governments and the need to overthrow them. It was indeed the perfect technology to accompany the end of history, offering peace and harmony to all mankind. But in 2010, Kumbaya suffered a string of debilitating blows that is forcing us to reappraise its pre-eminence.
Take the Stuxnet virus. The implications of this are both profound and impenetrable. Digital Culture & Education. Flickr Accidentally Wipes Out Account: Five Years And 4,000 Photos Down The Drain. Yahoo’s Flickr may have another PR nightmare on their hands. IT architect and Flickr user Mirco Wilhelm couldn’t log on to his 5-year old account yesterday, and when he asked the Flickr team about this issue they flat out told him they had accidentally flushed his entire account, and the 4,000 photos that were in it, straight down the drain. Apparently Wilhelm reported a Flickr user with an account that held ‘obviously stolen material’ to the company last weekend, but a staff member erroneously incinerated his account instead of the culprit’s.
Hello,Unfortunately, I have mixed up the accounts and accidentally deleted yours. I am terribly sorry for this grave error and hope that this mistake can be reconciled. Here is what I can do from here:I can restore your account, although we will not be able to retrieve your photos. Ouch. What amazes me most about this story is how calmly Wilhelm reacts to the termination of his account: And what about backups for Christ’s sake? Duly noted. Yahoo! 25 Years of Digital Vandalism. Texas Student Attends School As a Robot. Facebook Private Info Increasingly Used In Court. The Hierarchy Of Digital Distractions.