"You mean my whole fallacy's wrong?" - McLuhan
Well, after the fantastic weekend of concerts (magic and music do go together! - watch this space for more). The Bassist and I both performed very well, and hoefully more gigs on the way! I was reminded of talks with a friend of mine (a musician/producer who I've worked with - CB for short), we got into a discussion about McLuhan - 'the Medium is the Message'.
We got onto the subject of the internet - and after much meandering around various fallacious and circular arguements, none of which make sense, and all of which are arguing the same side - we landed upon the idea that the Internet is, essentially, a mirror of our society, insofar as our communication and social dynamics are concerned. However, it is a simulacra - and a dangerous one - one that is beginning to replace our normal methods of communication.
Whereas McLuhan said that electric wires in computers etc., correlate to our nervous system, each Dial in/DSL/T1 connection is a potential line of communication. We each have the potential to communicate with each other, as long as we have a common medium. Until the Internet, this was language, but with the internet, language is overcome by 'online translation engines', and so now, in this day and age, our ability to communicate and function as a human being is embodied by our access to a telephone line or computer connection.
Memetic transference is the only thing that the Internet can handle. It acts as a 'universal' medium, self regulating, self enhancing, but it still has a vulnerable jugular (the 13 'master DNS' servers in the US). Still, the Internet is so ingrained into our lives that we can no longer function as we do fully without its presence. Yes, we can replace it with longer, more complicated methods of transferring ideas from A to B, but they would take time to mature to such a level as that which we have now.
As such, the internet as simulacra or our minds' desires has left us as kings of our own domains, rulers of our LANs', forever defending our realms from the likes of other invading marauders. Some users choose to go around like thieves in the night, likening themselves to ninjas or pirates, whilst others build up great Temples of their own, filled with their Great User's Dogma, Writings, Memes and other such personal rubbish (this site being an example). This kind of self-righeousness allows people an outlet through which they can bestow their hopes, fears, loves, hates and all manner of their psyches' concerns.
What sh*te, eh?
(whilst involving McLauhan - is this site Hot or Cold medium? What do you think?)
(who got that joke?)
We eventually decided that such things were best left to proper and thinking, and not just two blokes sitting in a concert venue waiting for the show to start (given that I was in the show, my departure became quite important!).
Well, feel free to post your utter disgust at this over-generalisation of the Status Quo of the Internet. As McLuhan is quoted - 'I may be wrong, but I'm never in doubt' ;-)
Sapere Aude,
MxC
We got onto the subject of the internet - and after much meandering around various fallacious and circular arguements, none of which make sense, and all of which are arguing the same side - we landed upon the idea that the Internet is, essentially, a mirror of our society, insofar as our communication and social dynamics are concerned. However, it is a simulacra - and a dangerous one - one that is beginning to replace our normal methods of communication.
Whereas McLuhan said that electric wires in computers etc., correlate to our nervous system, each Dial in/DSL/T1 connection is a potential line of communication. We each have the potential to communicate with each other, as long as we have a common medium. Until the Internet, this was language, but with the internet, language is overcome by 'online translation engines', and so now, in this day and age, our ability to communicate and function as a human being is embodied by our access to a telephone line or computer connection.
Memetic transference is the only thing that the Internet can handle. It acts as a 'universal' medium, self regulating, self enhancing, but it still has a vulnerable jugular (the 13 'master DNS' servers in the US). Still, the Internet is so ingrained into our lives that we can no longer function as we do fully without its presence. Yes, we can replace it with longer, more complicated methods of transferring ideas from A to B, but they would take time to mature to such a level as that which we have now.
As such, the internet as simulacra or our minds' desires has left us as kings of our own domains, rulers of our LANs', forever defending our realms from the likes of other invading marauders. Some users choose to go around like thieves in the night, likening themselves to ninjas or pirates, whilst others build up great Temples of their own, filled with their Great User's Dogma, Writings, Memes and other such personal rubbish (this site being an example). This kind of self-righeousness allows people an outlet through which they can bestow their hopes, fears, loves, hates and all manner of their psyches' concerns.
What sh*te, eh?
(whilst involving McLauhan - is this site Hot or Cold medium? What do you think?)
(who got that joke?)
We eventually decided that such things were best left to proper and thinking, and not just two blokes sitting in a concert venue waiting for the show to start (given that I was in the show, my departure became quite important!).
Well, feel free to post your utter disgust at this over-generalisation of the Status Quo of the Internet. As McLuhan is quoted - 'I may be wrong, but I'm never in doubt' ;-)
Sapere Aude,
MxC
posted by M at 9:29 AM
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