The Fog of Revolution: how to get perspective while living through the genesis of the online age
8 responses to “The Fog of Revolution: how to get perspective while living through the genesis of the online age”
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We are the future.
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Lovely post, Antony: do more of these. My own family history is shrouded in mystery, though there’s rumour that we were forced out of Ireland because one of my misbegotten antecedents *was* a black and tan. No joke.
And you are right: we’re all picking round the elephant pretending we know what the whole thing looks like.
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Interesting post, Antony. Nice to read the family history in light of recent events.
It fascinating to see the speed at which these essentially human networks are are growing. -
Hey Antony, couldn’t agree with you more and nicely put. So our teachers knew something then.
To me the technology has of course evolved massively since our first computers (mine being a Commodore 128k), and we should not forget that the technology behind a social network is itself relatively simple in modern terms. It is the human imagination that discovers a way to utilise the data entered into those networks that is particularly valuable. Consider MS PhotoSynth for instance, a technology that creates an emergent output from dispersed and simple unitary pieces of social data.
3D point maps and a visual search engine just from photos on Flickr… amazing.
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Hello Anthony!
If you like this, then I think you might enjoy Brian Winstons’ book Media, Technology and Society. I would like to draw your attention to his theory of supervening social necessity. Winston’s work, has provided an alternative model of technological development where he sees the relationship between social, and the cultural providing a pattern for innovation and diffusion. A key element to his model is the theory of “supervening necessity” Winston (1998 p6), which translates to the social circumstances which move technological innovations out of laboratories or workshops, and into the real world. -
Nice perspective. it does feel to me like we are at the beginning of a big change in the way we do many things. I’m pretty middle-aged (45…..very middle aged) but other than the first time I heard punk rock I don’t remember a period where I felt more strongly that things will never be the same again.
Apologies for the double negative (i think)
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Love the post, Antony.
So I guess you think there’s hope for us all having a flying car and never-wash pants someday?
:-)
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Lovely personal post.
I remember when I was 14 and got my Commodore Vic 20 (3.5 KB available RAM ;-) and was amazed that one day we’d sit in front of the computer and do the grocery shopping.
Also a good example of how the network is yet not perfect. Maradona is the best football player in the world ;-)
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