I've recently been thinking of the internet in a way similar to the author...
In the past, what was most visible were a society's actions. The visibility of the thought that informed those actions was either ibscured or available to us only in very limited scope (newspapers, conversations with friends, etc).
Now, the internet makes it so that society's collective thought is more visible than anything else. Speech and conversation is what makes the internet go, but talk is cheap; when people talk on the internet they often let loose streams of consciousness fueled by idealism. Action is necessarily more sober.
Think of all the thoughts that shoot through your mind every single day. The fears, hopes, elations, frustrations... Imagine if everyone you knew had access to all of your thoughts, like when you imagine ramming your car into the asshole who just cut you off on the highway (knowing full well you would never do it), or when someone you're attracted to passes by and your mind wanders off...
This is the internet. It allows us to peer into the dark recesses of society's mind. Of course it seems unhinged. We would all seem a bit unhinged if our innermost thoughts were laid bare for all the world to see.
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[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 7.2 ms ] threadIn the past, what was most visible were a society's actions. The visibility of the thought that informed those actions was either ibscured or available to us only in very limited scope (newspapers, conversations with friends, etc).
Now, the internet makes it so that society's collective thought is more visible than anything else. Speech and conversation is what makes the internet go, but talk is cheap; when people talk on the internet they often let loose streams of consciousness fueled by idealism. Action is necessarily more sober.
Think of all the thoughts that shoot through your mind every single day. The fears, hopes, elations, frustrations... Imagine if everyone you knew had access to all of your thoughts, like when you imagine ramming your car into the asshole who just cut you off on the highway (knowing full well you would never do it), or when someone you're attracted to passes by and your mind wanders off...
This is the internet. It allows us to peer into the dark recesses of society's mind. Of course it seems unhinged. We would all seem a bit unhinged if our innermost thoughts were laid bare for all the world to see.