Social entropy is a perfect phrase for watching civilization’s operating system slowly bluescreen.
Every ‘golden age’ was built on someone else’s collapse. The Romans wept over decadence while building aqueducts. Victorians clutched pearls over ‘penny dreadfuls’ corrupting servants. Our version just has better WiFi and awful protagonists.
We nuked gatekeepers in the name of ‘democratization’ and got… this. A world where expertise and conspiracy theory share the same algorithmic real estate.
The problem with democracy and politics is that both sides have perfected making ‘winning’ matter more than fixing anything.
I love your thoughtful articles. Happy Thursday Wyrd :)
Thank you, Neela, you, too. (It would be a wee bit happier if the Twins had won today, but I learned long ago that being a Twins fan is an exercise in stoicism.)
History really is a series of rises and falls, isn't it. With doomsayers every step of the way. The big question is whether they're Chicken Littles or Cassandras. With us, I suppose time will tell. The scary bit is that we really do now have the power to destroy life on Earth.
For a long time, I've had a sign I made above my desk: It's titled The New World, and it contains five bullet points: Opinion=Truth; Assertion=Fact; Hyperbole=Normal; Emotion=Reality; Tribalism=Everything. My own version of Orwell's assertions. At root, I think we've just badly lost touch with physical reality. We're in a world where 2+2=5.
A nice turn of phrase there yourself: "…civilization’s operating system slowly bluescreen."
I was on Facebook, briefly, long ago, and I might still have a profile on LinkedIn from when I was working. I never saw it as a social site — more a “directory” of workers if I curious about someone’s work bg. Never was interested in the short-form sites; I’m too long-winded; for me it’s been all about blogging or information sites like Wikipedia. I think I got my fill of online debate back in the BBS and USENET days.
I do enjoy chatting with some fellow bloggers, though!
Before the net, the plain-ol'-stupid, the ignorant, the racists, misogynists, the raging religious right were isolated in pockets in the South and Central US -- the red states. With the internet and the advent of social-dystopia-media, the dumbest of the dumb can now share their most vile beliefs, get confirmation from others and roil their shitery into a meme and a movement.
Before the net, information flowed through "professionals", journalists, reporters and broadcasters. Those people maintained a level of honor, skill and propriety -- they cared about the truth.
That's all been washed away with the flood of mendacity.
Yes, I agree, that's a huge part of it (and well said). For good and ill, it's had a huge leveling effect on discourse and an amplification of casual (read: thoughtless) opinion. Rather than elevating us — which it surely had the power to do — it seems to have reduced us to the lowest common denominator. Which, with humanity, is depressingly low.
More than one person here on Substack, a place better than most, has observed that shallow silly meme Notes gets lots of likes but thoughtful interesting articles far fewer. And I really do believe technology has made us intellectually lazy. I fear that Ai will accelerate that. Why think or write or create art when you can just ask an Ai?
We're on the brink of a collision between Huxley's "Brave New World", Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four", Judge's "Idiocracy", and the remaining human population in "Wall-E" (but I think we can forget about humanity ever actually going to the stars).
The reality is, there’s a huge group of people who’ve always felt left behind. Many never felt they had a voice in politics or even a real choice. A lot of the support for Trump comes from that deep frustration.
They don’t care that he’s not a decent human being. What they care about is that all the progress they feel they never benefited from is finally being rolled back.
Yes, exactly. The problem is that in trusting him they may end up getting a lot more than they bargained for. He’s far worse than just not being decent; he’s a destructive force.
Oh I think that is going to be a guarantee. Unfortunately, the rest of us will be paying the price along with those folks and that’s the part that sucks.
Yep. Some of them apparently are recognizing they backed the wrong horse, but it's a bit late for that now. The mid-terms should be interesting (assuming we make it that far — the destruction wrought in just 100 days is stunning — "stunning" as in "stun gun" rather than in viewing the Grand Canyon).
I’m hoping for heart attacks all around. Or catching one of those diseases that we long ago eradicated but are now making a comeback because of anti-vaxxers.
I’d hope for Congress to come to its senses — and maybe the mid-terms will have some effect — but that seems a distant hope.
Oh Wyrd.
Where do I even begin?
Social entropy is a perfect phrase for watching civilization’s operating system slowly bluescreen.
Every ‘golden age’ was built on someone else’s collapse. The Romans wept over decadence while building aqueducts. Victorians clutched pearls over ‘penny dreadfuls’ corrupting servants. Our version just has better WiFi and awful protagonists.
We nuked gatekeepers in the name of ‘democratization’ and got… this. A world where expertise and conspiracy theory share the same algorithmic real estate.
The problem with democracy and politics is that both sides have perfected making ‘winning’ matter more than fixing anything.
I love your thoughtful articles. Happy Thursday Wyrd :)
Thank you, Neela, you, too. (It would be a wee bit happier if the Twins had won today, but I learned long ago that being a Twins fan is an exercise in stoicism.)
History really is a series of rises and falls, isn't it. With doomsayers every step of the way. The big question is whether they're Chicken Littles or Cassandras. With us, I suppose time will tell. The scary bit is that we really do now have the power to destroy life on Earth.
For a long time, I've had a sign I made above my desk: It's titled The New World, and it contains five bullet points: Opinion=Truth; Assertion=Fact; Hyperbole=Normal; Emotion=Reality; Tribalism=Everything. My own version of Orwell's assertions. At root, I think we've just badly lost touch with physical reality. We're in a world where 2+2=5.
A nice turn of phrase there yourself: "…civilization’s operating system slowly bluescreen."
Happy Friday Wyrd
Love and suffering sometimes wear the same jersey lol
Orwell would’ve added a sixth bullet these days - Algorithms=Accountability.
Thank you for the conversation.
I can only have these on Substack.
No one wants to read on LinkedIn, and well....the bots have taken over on Medium ...
Happy Friday, Neela.
Heh, yeah, Orwell had no idea.
I was on Facebook, briefly, long ago, and I might still have a profile on LinkedIn from when I was working. I never saw it as a social site — more a “directory” of workers if I curious about someone’s work bg. Never was interested in the short-form sites; I’m too long-winded; for me it’s been all about blogging or information sites like Wikipedia. I think I got my fill of online debate back in the BBS and USENET days.
I do enjoy chatting with some fellow bloggers, though!
Ah, we are kindred spirits. Someone else who remembers when online debate wasn’t just hot takes and amplified rage, but actual conversations.
LinkedIn is an utter mess these days.
I am an old, old soul, Wyrd.
I wish you the best weekend ahead.
Kindred old souls! You also have a great weekend, Neela.
Thank you 🙌
Happy Monday Wyrd
The internet did this to us.
Before the net, the plain-ol'-stupid, the ignorant, the racists, misogynists, the raging religious right were isolated in pockets in the South and Central US -- the red states. With the internet and the advent of social-dystopia-media, the dumbest of the dumb can now share their most vile beliefs, get confirmation from others and roil their shitery into a meme and a movement.
Before the net, information flowed through "professionals", journalists, reporters and broadcasters. Those people maintained a level of honor, skill and propriety -- they cared about the truth.
That's all been washed away with the flood of mendacity.
Yes, I agree, that's a huge part of it (and well said). For good and ill, it's had a huge leveling effect on discourse and an amplification of casual (read: thoughtless) opinion. Rather than elevating us — which it surely had the power to do — it seems to have reduced us to the lowest common denominator. Which, with humanity, is depressingly low.
More than one person here on Substack, a place better than most, has observed that shallow silly meme Notes gets lots of likes but thoughtful interesting articles far fewer. And I really do believe technology has made us intellectually lazy. I fear that Ai will accelerate that. Why think or write or create art when you can just ask an Ai?
We're on the brink of a collision between Huxley's "Brave New World", Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four", Judge's "Idiocracy", and the remaining human population in "Wall-E" (but I think we can forget about humanity ever actually going to the stars).
The reality is, there’s a huge group of people who’ve always felt left behind. Many never felt they had a voice in politics or even a real choice. A lot of the support for Trump comes from that deep frustration.
They don’t care that he’s not a decent human being. What they care about is that all the progress they feel they never benefited from is finally being rolled back.
Yes, exactly. The problem is that in trusting him they may end up getting a lot more than they bargained for. He’s far worse than just not being decent; he’s a destructive force.
Oh I think that is going to be a guarantee. Unfortunately, the rest of us will be paying the price along with those folks and that’s the part that sucks.
Yep. Some of them apparently are recognizing they backed the wrong horse, but it's a bit late for that now. The mid-terms should be interesting (assuming we make it that far — the destruction wrought in just 100 days is stunning — "stunning" as in "stun gun" rather than in viewing the Grand Canyon).
I know - I have to keep reminding myself it’s only month 3 going into month 4. We have 3.5 years left and who knows what happens by then.
I’m hoping for heart attacks all around. Or catching one of those diseases that we long ago eradicated but are now making a comeback because of anti-vaxxers.
I’d hope for Congress to come to its senses — and maybe the mid-terms will have some effect — but that seems a distant hope.
That is a very distant hope and by then they will have districts redrawn, voting so difficult it will be like walk through fire to get to the polls.