Baird I think some questions are Big Questions, to wit: ones of such depth that it's hard for a mind like mine to begin to even assemble an answer. Yours are such. These are profound topics in human nature! Perhaps we be started the development of a global mind of sorts but with a network of connectivity in information space far beyond the biological architectur of our mammalian brains. Not exactly an AGI, but more like a self modifying LLM, lacking an overall vector. Growing without bounds but toward what? I can't even guess. I would think we are in the very early stages of it, but whether it can survive wars, ecological catastrophies or gathering efforts from powerful religious and political forces to either channelize it or partition it...who knows? Will individuals be lost in it? Become slaves to the network? How many hours did you devote to researching and writing this essay? To responding to the comments? Are we all content to have the dog wag us, its million tails?
Thanks for your kind and good comments Michael. Some of my pieces fly easily off the brain as a whole. Others take many passes and more time. But you know all about that from your own good writing here. Cheers!
I received this just as I had hung one of my pieces on the wall of my office (I wish I could attach photos to comments!). It is of two swallows coming at each other and an empty speech bubble above their heads between them.
I called it "Into the Twitterverse", it is a statement of how we have a tendency to come at each other on social media with not a whole lot of substance, empty words that seek power and lack the accountability to one's own agency.
Social media puts onto display the absolute worst of humanity, but, at the same time, offers a light to shine into the darkness that is constantly bombarding our souls every time we log on. Finding balance can be difficult, finding truth, even harder.
Depressingly, it's not a surprise that the biggest category is social status checking. This is one of the things that constantly surprises me; how people, and not just young people, cannot curb themselves from boasting. It's almost as if they have lost their ability to monitor themselves (their superego missing in action?). I find such blatant bragging as fascinating as it is embarrassing. People never fail to disappoint one in their ridiculousness.
Agreed Michelle. The incessant narcissism and exhibitionism ("Look at how great I am!") is quite a thing, now amplified to deafening levels on social media platforms. The marketing of self is a central feature of human affairs with enough reinforcement to keep that engine running endlessly.
Baird I think some questions are Big Questions, to wit: ones of such depth that it's hard for a mind like mine to begin to even assemble an answer. Yours are such. These are profound topics in human nature! Perhaps we be started the development of a global mind of sorts but with a network of connectivity in information space far beyond the biological architectur of our mammalian brains. Not exactly an AGI, but more like a self modifying LLM, lacking an overall vector. Growing without bounds but toward what? I can't even guess. I would think we are in the very early stages of it, but whether it can survive wars, ecological catastrophies or gathering efforts from powerful religious and political forces to either channelize it or partition it...who knows? Will individuals be lost in it? Become slaves to the network? How many hours did you devote to researching and writing this essay? To responding to the comments? Are we all content to have the dog wag us, its million tails?
Thanks for your kind and good comments Michael. Some of my pieces fly easily off the brain as a whole. Others take many passes and more time. But you know all about that from your own good writing here. Cheers!
It is a matter of how much time we apportion between our connected selves and our un-networked selves.
I received this just as I had hung one of my pieces on the wall of my office (I wish I could attach photos to comments!). It is of two swallows coming at each other and an empty speech bubble above their heads between them.
I called it "Into the Twitterverse", it is a statement of how we have a tendency to come at each other on social media with not a whole lot of substance, empty words that seek power and lack the accountability to one's own agency.
Social media puts onto display the absolute worst of humanity, but, at the same time, offers a light to shine into the darkness that is constantly bombarding our souls every time we log on. Finding balance can be difficult, finding truth, even harder.
Thanks for that excellent visual and related comments Lisa. Great to see you "over here" on Substack!
Depressingly, it's not a surprise that the biggest category is social status checking. This is one of the things that constantly surprises me; how people, and not just young people, cannot curb themselves from boasting. It's almost as if they have lost their ability to monitor themselves (their superego missing in action?). I find such blatant bragging as fascinating as it is embarrassing. People never fail to disappoint one in their ridiculousness.
Agreed Michelle. The incessant narcissism and exhibitionism ("Look at how great I am!") is quite a thing, now amplified to deafening levels on social media platforms. The marketing of self is a central feature of human affairs with enough reinforcement to keep that engine running endlessly.