ANALOG/DIGITAL
Since the 1990s we have more and more been faced with the onslaught of a new age in communication, news, correspondence, media, privacy, reading, language, ad infinitum. Depending on many things, your reaction to this dramatic change may be quite varied. Some observations...
Newspapers no longer are the main source for news...today it has been reported from major book sellers that newly printed books are in a minority in sales...because of the anonymity in cyberspace we have become much more hostile and confrontational with each other...people with cell phones do not seem to have any concept of their talking invading my space and I have to listen to inane conversations...we have no idea what we are doing to our children who more and more are addicted to and overly focused on cyberspace...people are using proper language less and less...kids do not know how to spell...we no longer realize what we are doing to education...adults and especially kids cannot keep focused on anything for more than a few minutes...accurate history and documentation have been replaced by Wikipedia and other far less reliable reference sources that have information that is often not only inaccurate but lacks authentication...immediate information is seen as more imporatant to accurate information...we make tons of excuses for the negative aspects of the cyber invasion...we seem overly concerned with aspects of our own and others private lives...we have no concept of how permanent are things we unload into cyberspace...there is an ongoing battle between parents and children about computer use and selection of subject matter...pornography is rampant in cyberspace...naive or immature people are duped and taken advantage of via cyberspace...we no longer practice interpersonal niceties in cyberspace and in our "regular" lives...temptation abounds in cyberspace...children are exposed to things that they are not equipped to handle...opinions on political matters have become more confrontational and hostile...one can be uneducated and uncultured and find a world of ignorance within which they can live a self-directed life and lifestyle...cyber-hostility is creeping into our daily lives in all areas...it is thought by many that it isn't important unless "confirmed" in cyberspace...it has created a chasm between generations...it has made us lazy...study habits are seen as less and less important...our "discoveries" are more and more self-reflected and less about broader science...in a sense there is a war going on between generations and levels of education and genders and religions and families and cultures and aptitude, etc....we are losing our empathy for others...greed more and more rules!...who are our enemies and where are they?...
Meanwhile we see that the world of the computer can help bring down well-armed governments. In Tunisia it was an important catalyst of and for the revolution. The same is happening in Egypt. Authoritarian governments try to shut down these types of media and communication ASAP if there is a snif of revolt in the air. Terrorist groups and even terrorist individuals can impact "strong" governments by using private, cyber networks. The huge military establishment in places like the U.S. can be severely hurt and hampered by cyber-terrorism. In some instances, the biggest and most powerful gun or weapon is the computer and cyberspace.
What does all this mean? How does this bode for the future of the world? Never before has there been so much change so quickly. Are we at all prepared to handle it? Have we become more suspicious of each other? Has it unsettled the world more and faster? Has cyber-warfare replaced huge armies?
