As I read more of Gleick and The Information, I stumbled upon the quote: "Not withstanding the incessant chatter about communication that we hear daily, it has not improved; actually it has become more difficult" (399). Personally, I've always agreed with this statement. We live in a world where we can't even have a conversation with someone without having a phone out, at the ready. But then I really began to think about the quote. It doesn't just pertain to talking; it pertains to everything.
As said in the previous chapter, a simple term like "Babel," leads to a lot of results on Wikipedia alone. Looking up "Babel" on Google leads to almost eleven million results. Granted some of them are repeats, but that's still a lot. In fact, it's too much. Someone online could have the best story ever written entitled Babel, but it's so underfunded that it could be one of the last hits on Google. Thus, the Internet will have limited the author's communication. This blog is another good example. I have followers because I have to have followers (thank you to those that are reading), but chances are no one else will ever find this blog. Ever. There are too many blog websites and too many people on each one. My ideas will never be communicated outside of this class. That's the general problem. Everyone can be heard, but no one can be heard. So many people are talking at once that it's only those with the loudest voice that can be heard.
The problem with communication nowadays, what makes it so difficult, is the fact that there's so much we need to sort through to find that one thing we're actually looking for. Sometimes it's just a quick Google search, but other times can be hours worth of research. The vast pool of information is what leads professors to say things like, "Your articles need to be credible." There's just so much nonsense out there that really shouldn't be there, that blocks the way to the useful information and clogs up our line of communication.
I never really thought about this before, but your post is making the wheels in my brain turn. You’re absolutely right – there’s too much information. Maybe that’s a good thing, and maybe that’s a bad thing. Still, you make a good point: none of our blogs will be searched for; it’s just for our classmates and grade. We have an information overload, especially when it comes to the internet. You really do have to filter out the relevant from the irrelevant so you can find the appropriate information for whatever it is you’re researching. That’s something that’s difficult to do – especially when you’re writing a research paper. I suppose that is why our teachers remind us that our sources need to be credible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both! Information glut has become a prominent factor in our society. I never really thought about the slight chances of someone else ever reading our blogs. I have always been afraid of putting information online because all information in stored somewhere (Gelick mentions this as well), but when you think of the likelihood that your information will be found by chance then the worry dissipates. The portion about Wikipedia goes hand in hand with he fact that our teachers want our information to be credible, and that we are not supposed to use Wikipedia as a source.
ReplyDelete