Social Media: The Renaissance of Human Ignorance?
- Tuesday Nov 1,2011 05:46 AM
- By Cusper Lynn
- In Social Media
Image by: emilydickinsonridesabmx's
Social Media: The Renaissance of Human Ignorance?
By
Cusper Lynn
Recently, finding myself besieged by journalists with a range of useless questions, which invariably end with the phrase “and how do you feel about that?” I found myself wondering about the internet and human ignorance. The web and ever expanding communications once promised to push back the limitations of the human intellect and expand the term “intelligence” in ways previously never before conceived of. Back in those early and heady days of free data access I can well remember perusing libraries collections of ancient text, fragments of all but missing manuscript online and connecting with people worldwide on a broad range of topics. When that all came to a screeching halt I am not entirely certain.
It has been speculated that the ever narrowing range of internet experiences the average user finds are part of a conspiracy by government or industry, to limit and commoditize the web’s capacity. Often advocates of these theories will point to individual countries and sometimes collections of countries whose policies appear to choke off or at least attempt to achieve a strangle hold on the web.
My personal theory is quite the opposite. While in the early day of the web, when quality information was readily transferable, and pornography was extremely slow to download, intellect advanced ahead of ignorance. But with the migration of news media to the web, true and unadulterated ignorance gained its first serious foot hold. Later, with the advent of social media network systems ignorance entered into a renaissance.
If you doubt me on this consider the postings on any given new report. As you run along the length of them there will be, without fail, some fairly cerebral commentaries on the subject matter, several comments which are ads for websites and a seemingly infinite number of rude, vulgar and uninformed postings in which a pure and naked ignorance is on display in a way previously not conceived of by civil society.
Not to compare pre-internet earth to pre-industrial America, but it seems to me that there just were not the means necessary to transmit ignorance on a wide scale prior to the web, much as there was no simple means to quickly traverse the continent of North America prior to the train and later the automobile. Where newspapers, with their carefully pruned “letters to the editor” section had for say a few hundred years warmed the hearts of millions and given little comfort to the truly ignorant; as their letters – scrawled in crayon, twenty weight oil and or their own bodily fluids – failed to be published in the papers of records.
Now those same people can take heart, while it does require a rudimentary understanding of how to turn on a computer and log onto a news site or social media; profound ignorance can put itself on display on a global scale at the speed of light.
Social Media’s unique contribution to the expansion of human ignorance cannot be overestimated. Where else would a person 1) post their most vulgar, prurient and uninformed view 2) share them with their “friends” and then 3) presume that it was private and protected communications?
As comparisons go the only thing I could imagine comparing this mindset to is a group of flasher’s, pedophiles and registered sex offenders scheduling a meeting at a park pavilion for mutual self display and becoming indignant that their privacy was violated by a passing family that had reserved the adjacent pavilion for little Timmy’s eleventh birthday.
“We can stand naked if we want to! We have the pavilion until eleven o’clock,” protests the flashers.
“Do you need a clown for the party?” offers numerous pedophiles
“Any of you like to (deleted for web publication)?” call out the registered sex offenders.
Free speech, constitutional questions and other opportunities to follow out the conclusions of this little scene of civic exercise aside, there is a mental gap that exists when one presume any aspect of the web to be “private.”
The arguments that usually follow are generally along the lines of needing an “editor” to protect the public on the web. As the editors are generally the same group of “journalists” who failed to impress in print and continue to underperform in the electronic media, this solution is to be avoided at all costs. While it will spell the end to the Renaissance of ignorance, it will also herald the arrival of highly specialized form of organized ignorance on the web. These professional journalist, who are as often as not attorneys, who have decided to pursue ideological ambitions through a less demanding career, cultivate their own specialized ignorance. By dictating the boundaries of ignorance they mark off who will be the first with their back up against the wall when their revolution comes; you will need a social media account to determine when the nearest one near you is scheduled to arrive.
In the end armies of the ignorant will be sent against each other in waves on behalf of these self appointed leaders of the moronic masses. So I say let the let the Renaissance of Ignorance continue unabated, that the moronic might randomly flail against one another rather than be gathered is some directed mass. In this way alone humanities hope for self-preservation lies.
Cusper Lynn is the author of “FACEBOOK ATE MY MARRIGE” published by Hell Bent Press. He cannot be contacted by any conceivable means. But his web media team can be reached at:
Reader Comments:
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Harold Hiens257 like this: I believe that free speech does require tolerance of not just those we oppose but those who are profoundly ignorant.
Jessup&pushup61 Comments: Pedophile does not mean child molester. The author shows his “ignorance” in assuming a Pedophile would be criminal in their behavior, or would do anything to little Timmy. I myself am a pedophile and have not had sex with a minor. Also I have been to a number of birthday parties at the local water parks and I think it is unfair to be asked to leave for taking pictures of people enjoying themselves at the water parks.
Kaseysdad9882 Comments: You aren’t that d**kless wonder who was at the pool taking pictures of my kids are you?! Because if you are I am going to track you down and take that f****** cellphone of yours and shove it so far up you’re a******e that you will get hear the f***ing ring tones out you a*****e when you fart.
Jessup&pushup61 Comment: Bring it on you intolerant a*****e it isn’t a crime to take cellphone pictures. But it is a HATE CRIME to attack people who do
Kaseysdad9889 Comment: Bulls**t.
Jessup&pushp61 Comment: See your a** is court.
Kasesydad989 Comment: Hear your a** ringing in court
Billembythhour32 Comments: Why don’t you two get a room?
Helenmontanak33 Comments: The vulgarity and depravity of the postings only go to show the rampant ignorance that is affecting our nation and undermining the purity of our youth. NO CHRIST, NO PEACE, Know Christ, KNOW PEACE! Bring GOD Back to our country!
CHUCKYSCHUMER3WALL STREETS REVENGE~! Comments: Didn’t we vote God out during the last election? I am fairly certain it was on the ballot in my state.
Clartonbrigamthomas Comments: After 3 tours in Iraq All I can say is KNOW CHRIST NO PEACE, NO CHRIST, KNOW PEACE!
3LTLWORDS-MARX-WAS-RIGHT Comments: It is God and other anachronistic beliefs that continue to lead the ignorant masses to mindless and self-destructive existence under the oppressive boot of the capitalist pigs who rule the world through the banking system.
Clareburns41 Comments: You won’t think atheism is so damn wonderful when your kids decide to bow down to Mecca and lops your Godless head off!
Jamehicky21 Comments: Evangelical atheists are as bad as Evangelicals!
Jillyiansjucyjuggs comments: I want you tonight at http://2323.laymehard.html
Clareburns41 Comments: I get “Page not found” wtf?
Jamehicky21 Comments: Probably a Phishing site to stick a Trojan on your computer. Hope you didn’t have the tissues and baby oil out yet. LOL
Clareburns42 Comments: F**K OFF A**HOLE!
Jamehicky21 Comments: Spoken like one of the twelve disciples. Is that from the lost book of Judas?
3LTLWORDS-MARX-WAS-RIGHT Comments: When I went to the site it started to show a video but then wanted you to register and give a credit card number before it got to the good parts. ANOTHER CAPATILISTIC TRAP TO ENSLAVE THE PROLATERIATE!
Hexagnel Comment: I don’t believe ignorance is growing. Because I don’t think there are that many ignorant people on the web. Actually I believe that there are only four people on the web and they write all the stupid comments, most of the news and all of the television shows on basic cable!
Fortranforplay Comments: What about all the web commerce, Amazon, Ebay, etc?
Hexagnel Comment: Pretend. All made up. They are cardboard cutouts and puppets like our government.
Fortranforplay Comments: Do you wear tinfoil on your head often?
Hexagnel Comments: No need to get personal. If you want to believe in fairy tales like the internet feel free!
Text Copyright 2010-211 Hell Bent Press
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addiction, Facebook, ignorance, Journalist, Social media, stupidity
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