communication. community. cognition.
Who Needs Avatar? We Already Live In Parallel Universes
Sarah Palin is joining Fox News.
Cue the cheers from her fans and loyalists who will get her fresh and mavericky take on world events and politics.
Cue the jeers from her detractors, who are already writing punchlines that reinforce their existing opinions.
The fact is we now live in a strange age, one where there really is no common ground.
Years ago, one could read an analysis from the left and one from the right, and somewhere in the middle there would be an intersection from which one could reconstruct an objective truth. But that doesn’t happen anymore. The circles have split, and those in the left bubble can’t even fathom the cognitions of those in the right bubble (and thus conclude those in the right bubble are incapable of anything approaching reason and cognition.)
We’re now seeing the consequences of feeding your brain with only one side – selecting and never leaving your ever-deafening echo chamber: ultimately, you surround yourself with more noise, and get no closer to objective truth.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Ike on January 12, 2010 at 10:37 am, and is filed under Communication. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
Political Vegetable
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
“Modern politics is an endless onion. You can peel back layers as long as you want, and everything you find smells bad and makes you cry.”
The Future of Political Journalism?
about 1 year ago - 7 comments
Traditional Journalism is in for several more tremors before the implosion is finished. I’ve mentioned several of the trends that are accelerating the shift toward a concept I call the Embedded Journalist, but don’t expect that transition to be smooth. In California, for example, a political campaign high on finance and low on interest is
Imported Turf
about 1 year ago - 23 comments
While traditional media outlets claim to “embrace the conversation,” are they still holding it at arm’s length? Is it enough to host comments and invite input online, without the due diligence to see if others are manipulating the agenda? A few days ago, I wrote about what appeared to be a fairly obvious case of
Political Geometry
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
“Modern politics has become an exercise in bending over backwards to bend your opponent forwards.”
Color Me Invisible
about 1 year ago - 10 comments
In many issues of communication, color does matter. Some colors evoke strength, some safety, some progress, and some security. Some project cowardice, and others royalty. The mistake is in assuming too much – that a spectrum of colors will cover every flavor of difference and distinction. American politics has divided down Red and Blue lines,
Better than Best
about 2 years ago - 3 comments
“Libertarianism is the faith that individuals pursuing the better will succeed over Experts dictating the Best.”
Sweet Irony
about 2 years ago - 4 comments
“A government that promises free lollipops will fulfill that pledge by stealing candy from babies.”
Tightening the Noose
about 2 years ago - 5 comments
“Those who use government to reign in business make both business and government stronger. Those who make it their business to lobby the government make both government and business stronger.” Inspired by a Twitter discussion with Carmen Villadar.
Dislocated Knees
about 2 years ago - 4 comments
“When government becomes powerful enough to make all of us get on our knees to bow to it instead of the other way around, it needs to be kneecapped.”
Desperation
about 2 years ago - 4 comments
“‘Desperate times call for desperate measures’ is a dangerous justification, often uttered by politicians desperate to proceed with a hidden agenda.”
about 2 years ago
I think the disjoint is more likely to boil down to the wildly different philosophies than who we hear; frankly, everyone I know over the age of 30 hears a lot of the liberal side, and almost nothing from anyone who agrees with them. They’re still majority conservative, because their philosophies don’t agree with those of the majority liberal media.
Just off the top of my head, there’s a massive divide in who is responsible for actions, the nature of being a human, the purpose of government, the morality of self defense…
about 2 years ago
Perhaps the lack of critical thinking/logic in schools? Or the habit of many folks to go with the “never just wrong, but evil” way of dealing with conflict?
about 2 years ago
Good point. The left-right divide is amazing.
The challenges we face as a people probably don’t have a “left” or “right” answer. Even little disputes between my 7 year old and nine year old come as cleanly as only two sides. That we’re forced to choose between “left” or “right” leaves us destitute.
Love the title of your blog. Since you’re into philosophy, I’ll quote one of the folks I enjoy reading:
“There are no brute facts. Facts are not independent of their interpretation” Cornelius Van Til
about 2 years ago
Thank you. ^.^
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I’ve got a shirt from the Cardinal Ratzinger fan club that says “truth is not determined by a majority vote.”
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(still trying to figure out how this platform works….)
about 2 years ago
This is a great thought starting post, Ike. Like you say, mediums are merging all over the place. “Traditional” and “new” media, print and online, marketing and social media, and people and roles they play.
Long may it continue, I say – I’m tired of the status quo and doing something because everyone says that’s just the way it goes.
Cheers!