In this week's LA CityBeat, I have a new media column about all the screens one, in theory, needs to handle all the stuff that's coming at you whether you like it or not.
In this week's LA CityBeat, I have a new media column about all the screens one, in theory, needs to handle all the stuff that's coming at you whether you like it or not.
Lately I've been fantasizing about cutting my bandwidth down to books. There have been times of dire poverty when I was without phone or television. Those were times before the internet. I got my information by reading and talking to people. It was OK. The only thing that keeps me plugged in is the all pervasive fucking conspiracy. The opposition is so thoroughly dispersed and isolated that super powered communications tools are needed for us to find each other. Trouble is, it's a bit like Bolshevism: We (the good guys) adopt the bad guys' methods and end up like the bad guys.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there's the business of playing God (?)
There's something decadent about sitting in our little cells googling whatever the fuck crosses our little minds. We begin to imagine that we are omniscient- that we have instant access to all of the world's knowledge.
OK, put it this way: What real hope do I have besides the hope of becoming a better person? Sounds corny, but I am not going to change the world if I am following the world's lead. Does the device contribute to that goal? I dunno.
And then there's the finally part. Do I use the machines to keep myself amused? Yeah, I do. Mostly to cut down on clutter. I still live in a cobwebbed rat's nest, but it's not as bad as when I had a huge collection of vinyl records causing the floor to sag and the walls to tilt slightly. I'd like it if I could make the DVD's disappear into a little box too. I ain't givin' up printed books though.
Jon... you've really covered it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's corny, realizing that you can't change the world by following its lead. Somebody, maybe Ghandi, or someone just as wise, said you have to become the change you want. In that regard, becoming a better person is the one hope we all have. It's maybe not the only thing, but it's the obvious place to start, from the inside out, and it's the one thing we're always free to do, whatever the circumstances.
Seems to me the device CAN contribute to that goal as can most other things, even "the bad guy's" technologies. Any tool is only as good, or bad, as the use to which it's put... trite but true. Only you can know what works for you, me for me, etc.
And couldn't agree more that we need the Internet to find each other (just reading your comment heartens me, as it must others, reminding us we're not alone in trying to find our way to what matters) and you nailed it as to keeping tabs on the "all pervasive fucking conspiracy." The testament to that is how desperately the "bad guys" are trying to cripple the net and take it down.
That said, I "ain't giving up printed books" either. They feel a lot better in my hands than a laptop. And when the power grid finally crashes and all the instant cyber knowledge at our fingertips dissolves with it they'll be all we have... again.
I used to think TV was the worse electronic tool, but the internet is definitely the worse tool.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's not correct, but it can be used very poorly.
You think because you are reading and typing it's not as lazy as TV, but it is.
The internet is great in regards to information, but it's horrible, because it makes you think you wanted the information and makes you feel that you need the information. Sometimes when I'm out at the park or even with friends I feel as if I need to check my email. My body actually has a physical response. It's as if I'm addicted. Never in my life did TV ever make me feel that I needed to rush home to watch a television show.
I never felt physical uncomfort, because I missed a TV show.
"There's something decadent about sitting in our little cells googling whatever the fuck crosses our little minds. We begin to imagine that we are omniscient- that we have instant access to all of the world's knowledge." jon
Exactly. That is what makes it so horrible. You google and you think everything that can be out there is there and sometimes it's not. There are all kinds of forces controlling the internet and most of them are corporate.
I have to go to the library, I have to go to bookstores, that's part of my finding out about the world and not getting sucked into this new type of group think that the interenet is fostering.
People use to site books when involved in discourse now they site wikipedia. Wikipedia isn't research.
Just because something isn't on google, doesn't mean it's not there.
The "Man Who Fell from Earth," such a great movie.
Those odd little phones that have TV. I just can't do it. I have a basic cell phone that just takes calls. I had a phone that had internet access and I threw it in the LA River. I just couldn't take it anymore. Possibly that was a bit dramatic, but I felt like I was being held hostage by a god damn phone.
I think everyone should go out for at least two hours per day and talk to people, in person. We have enough time in a day to be online, that time should be spent outside.
Browne
I'm sorry, but I still believe that communication is the most powerful tool of change. I mean, without we would not be having this dialogue.
ReplyDeleteDon't the rebels always seize the radio station?
On the other hand, I have no cell phone. And if I did I would not give out the number.
What stands out is the irony that those blasting the net appear to use it extensively and are heard, of course, only by others on the net, the place they voice their frustration. It's tempting to ask why they're commenting on a blog in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAgree the net could be addictive, but as with anything addictive the challenge is to enjoy the thing without becoming a slave to it. Some manage, some don't. It's seems a cop-out and just too easy to blame the smack, the net, etc.
The net's got plenty of faults and is awash with advertising and marketing ploys, but so is all other media. Some of the net is corrupt, but plenty isn't. Almost all MSM is now corrupt in that it is in the pocket of the corporate occupation. I'd take my chances with the net anyday as to keeping tabs on what's going on with the world.
If TV were wiped off the planet, I'd feel no loss. If the net were, it would make a big difference in our current political reality. It's not 'cause of the net that a huge majoeiry of americans believed Hussein was connected to 9/11.
Personally, I think the alternate news on the net can be credited with slowing the advance of the police state, even if only a little. The move for impeachment was born on the net. Important candidates marginalized by the media, like Kucinich, have a voice, and a large following on the net.
One of the problems with not only the net but current culture is the overwhelming glut of information. It just can't be processed the way we used to do it. The old paradigm has to be ditched. You can't follow every link or lead. What's needed is a much greater reliance on intution on all fronts. Those who trust and are in touch with their inner knowing have a much easier time accessing what they need within the maze of overkill we now experience everywhere.