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Yes, that is quite the title. But this is something that I've only just begun to vocalize (if I can use such a term in reference to the disembodied form of communication we call blogging) and proper expression requires experimentation. Anyway... here are some thoughts (I'd like to apologize ahead of time as I'm truly shooting from the hip on this one):
New Media and Cognitive Blindspots
New media is something of great interest to me. No, I'm not much of a participant in the phenomena; but, nonetheless, it does interest - and at times, frighten - me.
One of the dangers of social media is that it is a directly controlled experience. There are in fact only two (correct me if I'm wrong) main factors which guide the experience: the individual and the algorithm.
Communication in it's more disembodied, electronically mediated forms (email, texting, blogging, etc.) is essentially an exchange of information (unlike the more traditional embodied form of sharing time and space, in which exchange of information is only a small part of the interaction). This information is closely controlled and directed by these two dictating factors. One the one end, the individual entering into the medium will direct his/her attention to those things in which he/she is most interested. On the other end we find the arcane realm of algorithms. You cannot see them but they are the virtual overlords of information dispersal in cyberspace. It is this silent collusion between these two covert collaborators which concerns me (sorry, I couldn't help myself with the alliteration).
Ok, that's some heavy language there for simply using social media technology. Or is collusion actually a very apt term?
What interests me most is the hidden way in which these two interact and produce a narrowing of information. Think about it: what you're interested drives what you look at (i.e. the information you access); the information you access influences what you are interested in; what you're interested in drives... well you get the point. And throughout this whole process, unseen, are the algorithms in the software that filter and guide your access to the information (do you understand how a simple Google search works? I don't; but I do know that it is not neutral, it is not unbiased). This can have the unintentional effect of polarizing and segregating various interests and viewpoints. As cellular phones move further and further into the realm of adaptive software (which is intended to get to know you and your patterns/desires/interests and thus be able to provide fitting suggestions on any number of topics/activities), we increasingly have a situation where technology (algorithms) provide guidance and direction to "appropriate information".
What's so wrong with that scenario you ask... Well, I would suggest that the greatest potential problem is that it could create giant cognitive blindspots. Areas of knowledge and thought (viewpoints) that become inaccessible to the individual - precisely because he/she operates predominately as an individual.
The Necessity of Serendipitous Embodied Existence
I've come up with this term to describe what I feel is essentially just the reality of lived life, which is the antidote to cognitive blindspots. Being a part of a physical community can indeed be a cure for ignorance. One of the main differences between reality and virtual reality (i.e. the difference between the world and the worldwide web) is the differing laws which govern them. While paths online are directed by a combination of individual interest and algorithmic interpretation, paths in the real world are guided by an incomprehensible multitude of variables which can neither be predicted nor ever fully explained (even in hindsight). This "multitude of variables," and the winding paths which they direct one along are here being called serendipity (I'm sure another entirely different multitude - predominantly those of the fundamentalist Christian ilk - are decrying my use of serendipity here; but that's a whole other matter for another time). One familiar simile for this concept is "life."
What life as an embodied person (not an individual, which I would argue is a markedly different concept than that of a person: individualism versus personhood) grants one is unknown and unexpected experiences. And it is these unexpected experiences and interactions, which are more than mere information exchanges, that have the ability to broaden our perspective and shine light on our blindspots.
I find this happening daily in my life. It could take the form of seeing a sight which causes me to pause and consider something that I'd not before considered. It could take the form of a conversation with a stranger which asks me to re-examine my preconceptions or rethink my views.
Life is not guided by my interests or shaped by software algorithms (if you think that I'm going a little overboard on the whole algorithm thing, look into the role played by them in the use of smartphones, search engines, social media sites, commercial websites such as amazon and the like, etc.). I may have a particular plan for life, but by it's very nature, by the nature of the "laws" which govern it, life does not often follow this plan of mine. This, my friends, is the real enlightening power of a serendipitous embodied existence - the breadth of educating exposure.
Any thoughts...?
(postscript: yes, old media can also produce such blindspots; but, I would argue, it is not anywhere near the level possible in the new media landscape)
(post-postscript: no, I don't think we need a technological jihad against all use of new media. I think what we need is more awareness about the true nature of this cyberspace realm in which we increasingly travel.)
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