Myths about the new information age.

Information flows in entirely new and unprecedented ways. We do not yet fully understand the dynamics of this new information flow—how it operates—how it recontexts—how it is altering the architecture of our cultural and political and physical worlds. Some myths are carry­overs from the old world of print. Here are some examples:

• Myth #1: Information is controlled by special interests.

Who controls information? No one. Some people may briefly control some areas of communication. But no one and no organizations or corporations or special interests or government can indefinitely control any information.

The fear of "controls" is a legacy of the oldworld where in fact a small number of people in each community or even nation did control wealth and information and production.

But the new information—unlike the old—cannot be controlled-monopolized or centralized.

People still try to control information. But information has grown too gigantic too multifaceted too rapid too personal too global too cumulative to be controlled for long. Information is everywhere.

Take the United States of America for example:

Half of the U.S. GNP is directly related to communication.

Half of the wages paid in the U.S. goes to people involved in the production—processing—distribution of information.

Nearly half of the jobs in this country are in "information occupa­tions." (In the year 1900 only ten percent of all jobs were in this category.)

Some of the largest enterprises in America are information related: universities and schools—film industry—television—radio—tele­phone—computers—newspapers—magazines—book publishing— booksellers—libraries—data banks—advertising—etc.

The U.S.—the world's most powerful nation—lost the war in Viet­nam chiefly because it lost the information war at home. (The tenacity of the Vietnamese obviously contributed to the American withdrawal.)

A recent American president was forced to resign from office for complicity in political tamperings. There is nothing new about this kind of chicanery. What is new is that in today's environment it is increas­ingly difficult to manipulate and squelch information—and get away with it.

In the 1970s and the 1980s the U.S. has had conservative administrations—yet during these years powerful movements spear­headed by women—students—consumers—environmentalists and oth­ers outside politics have brought about profound changes. Precisely because no one can control information.

World powers such as the USA and the Soviet Union are more powerful than ever—yet they continue to lose relative power and spheres of influence in the world. Precisely because they can no longer control information.

In technologically advanced societies a few people or corporations may still control a few radio and television stations—but they cannot control all radio and all television.

Can anyone or any corporation or administration or political group control the myriad sources of information: all films all television all radio all audio/visual cassettes and discs all direct satellite transmissions all computers all data bases all telephones all videoconferences all mail all books all magazines and telemagazines all advertising all desk-top printouts all newspapers all "foreign" films and press all tourists all ""foreign" students and investors?

It is the combination of these and other information outlets that creates a powerful information environment that is increasingly difficult to con­trol and manipulate.

The world is opening up—wider and wider. No one can close it down any longer. In one way or another the light is coming through.

• Myth #2; It is costly to be information rich.

In telespheral societies information is one of the cheapest and most abundant commodities.

While the price of industrial goods goes up—the price of information continues-to go down.

Computations on a mainframe that cost a couple of dollars in the 1950s are now done for a fraction of a penny.

For a few pennies and a few minutes you can now use your computer from wherever you are to access information from thousands of free and commercial data bases in very nearly every field. In the industrial phase equivalent research takes a couple of weeks of library search.

For thirty cents you can buy a major global newspaper every day with updates of developments in many fields and major events all over the planet.

For around a hundred dollars you can buy a television set and for the next twenty years have a front seat at major global conferences— panel discussions—interviews with all kinds of people—festivals —exhibits. You can participate in seminars on world affairs—in­vestments—health. You can watch close-ups of spacecraft liftoffs and landings—heart transplant and implant operations and other pioneering medical events. You can watch people milling around the Piazza San Marco in Venice or the marketplace in Ouagadougou. With the help of your TV set you can even lurk behind bushes and comfortably watch our primate ancestors and other animals going about their business in their natural habitats.

Soon a small inexpensive satellite dish will enable you to tune in TV channels in Rio de Janeiro and Marrakesh and Nairobi and Stockholm and Bucharest and Bombay and Bangkok and Sydney.

Today you can tune in these and other places around the planet with a push-button shortwave radio that costs no more than a couple of hundred dollars.

For a fraction of a dollar you can now call across the continental USA or Canada. If you don't talk long you can call across the planet for a couple of dollars.

In our times information degrades quickly. But the opportunities for quick continuous update are everywhere. It is easy and inexpensive to be information rich.

• Myth #3: Watch out for information overload.

There is no information overload. The human brain seems to have an infinite capacity to take in information. In fact the more information you take in the more you enlarge your brain's capacity to assimilate more information.

People who complain of information overload are in reality balking at the acceleration of change.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 809