Information Saturation is Sexy or Would You Sing The Body Electric?

[Chessie]

I've found myself lately taking a special joy in something.

I sit at my computers. Yes, computers. I have two of them side-by-side. At one time there was a third but it died of old age. Anyway, each one runs a different operating system. I can play video-games on one, watch a movie on another, and read a book or listen to music on a third while surfing the internet.

It feels like the more information I have flowing towards me, the happier my brain is. Even if I have to struggle to comprehend all of it together, I don't feel like it's overwhelming me anymore. I'm enjoying this rampant stimulation in a way that most people would find absolutely abhorrent to their ability to concentrate. So why concentrate? I can switch from one to another pretty quickly. It's FUN.

It's also one of the big terrors of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. The fear that people would become so loaded with information that they'd lose their ability to think is written into media all through those decades. If anything, I feel that I contemplate and consider more deeply and with greater breadth now than I could have possibly when I was younger. I sit and listen to fractals singing.

So here is my question.
Do you ever dream of sitting in front of a bank of computers with a mass of screens?
Do you ever wish you had more than one brain so you could remember everything you were exposed to?
Would you get that wi-fi card installed in your head?
Would you become multiple people just to have the experiences fed to you from all of those different bodies?
Would you share your head with other minds?
Would you jack yourself into the Internet?

 

[Trifoilum]

It's also one of the big terrors of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. The fear that people would become so loaded with information that they'd lose their ability to think is written into media all through those decades. If anything, I feel that I contemplate and consider more deeply and with greater breadth now than I could have possibly when I was younger. I sit and listen to fractals singing.

Well actually I can still see the risk. It's not their ability to think, as much as their desire to explore beyond what is already explored (and shown in front of their computers)

So here is my question.
Do you ever dream of sitting in front of a bank of computers with a mass of screens?
Do you ever wish you had more than one brain so you could remember everything you were exposed to?
Would you get that wi-fi card installed in your head?
Would you become multiple people just to have the experiences fed to you from all of those different bodies?
Would you share your head with other minds?
Would you jack yourself into the Internet?

No. Too hikikomori.
I think we already remember everything, but our brain censored it for our good sake? But if you mean releasing that censor, then no.
No.. not wi-fi card.
There's already fiction for (sort of) this experience, but depends, I suppose.
No. Keep your heads of mine!
That....is so problematic in many ways. Maybe yes, maybe no. Depends. Here, sounds good. 4chan? OMG.

 

[muir]

I think that quality not quantity is what is important with information

Trying to find the best sources of information is the difficult bit

Rather than fantasising about being fed information from technology for example in the batman films eg the riddler, or even the 'sonar' machine in the dark knight, I do admire some people who have put themselves at the centre of a web of information.

For example people like Noam Chomsky, Julian Assange or John Pilger have made themselves the mouthpiece of certain viewpoints. Anyone who shares their viewpoint and wants to be heard can send the information to these individuals who can then disseminate the information to the public. These people are hugely knowledgable not just throuhg their own research but by being at the centre of a web of information which gravitates towards them.

To do this you need a profile. Julian Assange has been at the centre of a lot of controversy recently which must be pretty stressful for him, but on the flip side of that the furore surrounding wikileaks and the attempts by sweden to extradite him have provided AMAZING publicity both for Wikileaks and for those who want to point out the wrongdoings of people in power.

I share information with people and i get information back, so we can all be at the centre of our own little information webs, especially now we are all part of the worldwide web.

There is a lot of info out there and a lot of viewpoints so i think its important to check the veracity of info and to try not to spread yourself too thin; by that i mean focus in on the good stuff in order to make best use of your time.

The ability to control information is the ability to control how people think and feel about things.

People are not rational creatures, they are creatures capable of rational thought. For the most part people are ruled by their emotions and these are easy to manipulate if you know how; you can see the media playing on peoples emotions all the time....IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IT. The development of psychology has only made the methods of control more sophisticated.

The individual can guard against false perceptions by checking facts, getting info from independant sources and by maintaining a constant skepticism about what the people in power are telling them. An ideal example of this would be the bias which is ofetn shown in the recording of history. In order to get closer to the truth, its important to recognise the bias of the piece you are reading and to make allowance for that.

Whenever I absorb any information whether it is a news story or even a TV show I constantly analyse it to see how the power elites are trying to manipulate me and people in general. I ask myself what are they trying to achieve by showing this to me? I'm not saying that the makers of info...or rather the packagers of info are always consciously playing a certain game but they are certainly operating within a culture which shapes how they present things to us and what they present to us.

Sometimes they are merely trying to distract (circus and bread) but even amongst 'entertainment' there are ways of thinking and feeling being pushed onto us.

Discussing topics/issues/viewpoints with people worldwide I can guage how these methods are actually affecting the minds and hearts of people. The internet can act as a kind of barometer of public opinion.

Many people seem entirely unaware of how their views are being sculpted by things like: popular culture, religion and the media.

 

[randomsomeone]

No, I have not been very impressed with anything on the internet and I think perhaps the speculators of the previous generations may have been right in part. We are trading knowlege for information (not the same, imo), limiting intelligence to only one kind, and delving into an illusory world. We'll see what comes of it....I suspect an impoverished humanity.

 

[birdshit]

i like having a bunch of things open in front of me, but the more things there are the harder it is to focus on any one of them. i think even spending a lot of time on the internet makes it harder for me to sit down and actually get something done like an essay or reading assignment if i'm trying to work on my computer 'cause i already know where all the distractions are and i'll end up wasting time first out of habit. soon it becomes numbing, i don't have my work done and i'm still sitting there clicking and typing away in oblivion as it slowly gets light outside.

basically i find it very easy to become addicted to information and information-gathering and i can't imagine more being good at all. it's a bitch, relearning something as simple as concentration.

edit: it'd be great to have more than one brain though. even with two i'm pretty sure i'd rule the world.

 

[mauve]

This is quite new to me, I've never actually heard of someone with these desires.
To answer your questions, no I've never dreamt of "sitting in front of a bank of computers with a mass of screens" nor feel like living in the Internet world. As an INFJ, I think that would be quite against our natures.
YES, I do constantly think about absorbing tons of knowledge and try to find ways to improve memory and invest in learning styles.
I WOULD 'share my head with other minds', this is partly why I joined this forum. Ha ha. I love debates and discussions, they are very interesting and stimulate our minds.
Multiple people... I would have to seriously consider that. As mentioned, I dont want to lose myself and my humanity.
As I see it, the gaining of knowledge, info and wisdom is a very important part of life but the human factor triumphs.
Your passion to absorb and ability to concentrate would be very useful in studies, I'm thinking. I would love to have your concentration! My own mind kept meandering, thoughts scattered all over when typing this out.
Hey, maybe the media's got a point but if YOU feel that this is a learning process then so be it.
Everyone does this to a certain extent, multitasking even on the Internet. I've got this forum, my music vids and two other websites full of info.

 

[Griffin]

I like to keep a clean desktop on my single computer, so I can concentrate intently on a single thing. Something about certain kinds of certain windows (tabs don't bother me nearly as much) being open at once makes me annoyed. If I don't see it as needing to be there, I will close it until I need it.
I MUST!

EDIT:
There is something appealing about the thought of complete immersion into a task for a period of time, less fusing the two and more becoming one with your purpose for the time being.

 

[invisible]

I'd probably do it if it were expected of me.