ok doser
lifeguard at the cement pond
When it comes to social/human behavior, TOL has a wealth of case study possibilities.
Well, yeah :idunno:
Less now than it used to, but still fertile ground
DIVIDED AMERICA: Constructing our own intellectual ghettos
- Thread starter annabenedetti
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Well, yeah :idunno:
Less now than it used to, but still fertile ground
annabenedetti
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TED Talk excerpt:
One of the fundamental characteristics of a network is that,once you are linked in the network,the network starts to shape your views and starts to shape your interactions with everybody else.
That's one of the things that defines what a network is. A network is not just the product of its component parts. It is something more than that. It is, as Steven Johnson has talked about, an emergent phenomenon. Now, this has all these benefits: it's very beneficial in terms of the efficiency of communicating information; it gives you access to a whole host of people; it allows people to coordinate their activities in very good ways. But the problem is that groups are only smart when the people in them are as independent as possible.
This is the paradox of the wisdom of crowds, or the paradox of collective intelligence, that what it requires is actually a form of independent thinking. And networks make it harder for people to do that, because they drive attention to the things that the network values.
So, one of the phenomena that's very clear in the blogosphere is that once a meme, once an idea gets going, it is very easy for people to just sort of pile on, because other people have, say, a link. People have linked to it, and so other people in turn link to it, etc., etc. And that phenomenon of piling on the existing links is one that is characteristic of the blogosphere,particularly of the political blogosphere, and it is one that essentially throws off this beautiful, decentralized, bottom-up intelligence that blogs can manifest in the right conditions.
The metaphor that I like to use is the metaphor of the circular mill. A lot of people talk about ants. You know, this is a conference inspired by nature. When we talk about bottom-up, decentralized phenomena, the ant colony is the classic metaphor, because, no individual ant knows what it's doing, but collectively ants are able to reach incredibly intelligent decisions.They're able to reach food as efficiently as possible, they're able to guide their traffic with remarkable speed. So, the ant colony is a great model: you have all these little parts that collectively add up to a great thing. But we know that occasionally ants go astray, and what happens is that, if army ants are wandering around and they get lost, they start to follow a simple rule -- just do what the ant in front of you does. And what happens is that the ants eventually end up in a circle. And there's this famous example of one that was 1,200 feet long and lasted for two days, and the ants just kept marching around and around in a circle until they died. And that, I think, is a sort of thing to watch out for. That's the thing we have to fear -- is that we're just going to keep marching around and around until we die.
James Surowiecki
One of the fundamental characteristics of a network is that,once you are linked in the network,the network starts to shape your views and starts to shape your interactions with everybody else.
That's one of the things that defines what a network is. A network is not just the product of its component parts. It is something more than that. It is, as Steven Johnson has talked about, an emergent phenomenon. Now, this has all these benefits: it's very beneficial in terms of the efficiency of communicating information; it gives you access to a whole host of people; it allows people to coordinate their activities in very good ways. But the problem is that groups are only smart when the people in them are as independent as possible.
This is the paradox of the wisdom of crowds, or the paradox of collective intelligence, that what it requires is actually a form of independent thinking. And networks make it harder for people to do that, because they drive attention to the things that the network values.
So, one of the phenomena that's very clear in the blogosphere is that once a meme, once an idea gets going, it is very easy for people to just sort of pile on, because other people have, say, a link. People have linked to it, and so other people in turn link to it, etc., etc. And that phenomenon of piling on the existing links is one that is characteristic of the blogosphere,particularly of the political blogosphere, and it is one that essentially throws off this beautiful, decentralized, bottom-up intelligence that blogs can manifest in the right conditions.
The metaphor that I like to use is the metaphor of the circular mill. A lot of people talk about ants. You know, this is a conference inspired by nature. When we talk about bottom-up, decentralized phenomena, the ant colony is the classic metaphor, because, no individual ant knows what it's doing, but collectively ants are able to reach incredibly intelligent decisions.They're able to reach food as efficiently as possible, they're able to guide their traffic with remarkable speed. So, the ant colony is a great model: you have all these little parts that collectively add up to a great thing. But we know that occasionally ants go astray, and what happens is that, if army ants are wandering around and they get lost, they start to follow a simple rule -- just do what the ant in front of you does. And what happens is that the ants eventually end up in a circle. And there's this famous example of one that was 1,200 feet long and lasted for two days, and the ants just kept marching around and around in a circle until they died. And that, I think, is a sort of thing to watch out for. That's the thing we have to fear -- is that we're just going to keep marching around and around until we die.
James Surowiecki
annabenedetti
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This data is three years old. Post-Trump, I'd expect to see even greater polarization.
Political Polarization in the American Public
How Increasing Ideological Uniformity and Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics, Compromise and Everyday Life
Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in the last two decades. These trends manifest themselves in myriad ways, both in politics and in everyday life. And a new survey of 10,000 adults nationwide finds that these divisions are greatest among those who are the most engaged and active in the political process.
Political Polarization in the American Public
How Increasing Ideological Uniformity and Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics, Compromise and Everyday Life
Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in the last two decades. These trends manifest themselves in myriad ways, both in politics and in everyday life. And a new survey of 10,000 adults nationwide finds that these divisions are greatest among those who are the most engaged and active in the political process.
annabenedetti
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annabenedetti
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annabenedetti
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I thought I had a good idea: Analog August.
It's still a good idea, but I didn't have it first. Whenever I'm writing and I come up with an idea or a phrase or a title, I do a search to see if I can find anyone using it already - and usually I'm not the first. Oh well. Some day. :chuckle:
But it still looks very good to me. Analog August. A good time for a detour from digital. It's not completely possible, I can't go full Luddite. My family needs to be able to get hold of me, I need to use my appliances and my car and go through a checkout line and so on. But a detour from the internet - I can do that and I have done that. I'm going to aim for a 95% reduction from the internet this month, allowing a few minutes each day to check headlines so I know the world didn't end while I was sleeping.
Here's the website I found:
Analog August
Inspired by the book The End of Absence
It's still a good idea, but I didn't have it first. Whenever I'm writing and I come up with an idea or a phrase or a title, I do a search to see if I can find anyone using it already - and usually I'm not the first. Oh well. Some day. :chuckle:
But it still looks very good to me. Analog August. A good time for a detour from digital. It's not completely possible, I can't go full Luddite. My family needs to be able to get hold of me, I need to use my appliances and my car and go through a checkout line and so on. But a detour from the internet - I can do that and I have done that. I'm going to aim for a 95% reduction from the internet this month, allowing a few minutes each day to check headlines so I know the world didn't end while I was sleeping.
Here's the website I found:
Analog August
Inspired by the book The End of Absence
Only one generation in history (ours) will experience life both with and without the Internet. For everyone who follows us, online life will simply be the air they breathe.
annabenedetti
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annabenedetti
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Well, the month is going better than I expected. I thought I'd set the bar too high. Although I haven't made 95% every day, I have hit it on some days, and it's been at least 90% most days, with a few days probably around 80%, because news. All of these numbers are estimates - I totaled up how much time I might spend online on an average day (too much) and went from there.
Early on, I deleted my Twitter account. Surprisingly, I haven't missed it.
I've switched up every day where I spend my now much-abbreviated internet allowance, and today I decided to make a few posts here, and tomorrow I'll be back to going directly to the various sites where I've been reading news and commentary, rather than using a news aggregator.
That's about it.
Early on, I deleted my Twitter account. Surprisingly, I haven't missed it.
I've switched up every day where I spend my now much-abbreviated internet allowance, and today I decided to make a few posts here, and tomorrow I'll be back to going directly to the various sites where I've been reading news and commentary, rather than using a news aggregator.
That's about it.
I wish you well ... though I must say that your intellectual honesty and civility is sorely missed.
annabenedetti
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Eh... You're much too kind. While it was always more important to me than anything else to be honest in my interactions here, I can't say I was always civil... nor do I have a guilty conscience about the times I wasn't civil.
annabenedetti
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GMTA ...
Rusha, don't answer this please. Just leave it sit there.
I'm 100% honest when I say I can't hold a candle to you.
annabenedetti
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Okay, back to the OP:
[h=1]Right and Left React to Trump’s Latest Charlottesville Comments Blaming ‘Both Sides’[/h]
The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. Trying to find differing perspectives worth your time is even harder. That’s why we have scoured the internet for political writing from the right and left that you might not have seen.
Not a bad idea from the NYT.
[h=1]Right and Left React to Trump’s Latest Charlottesville Comments Blaming ‘Both Sides’[/h]
The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. Trying to find differing perspectives worth your time is even harder. That’s why we have scoured the internet for political writing from the right and left that you might not have seen.
Not a bad idea from the NYT.
Too little too late from the Fake Failing NY Times
annabenedetti
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I fell off the analog wagon today. lain:
Well, I guess there's always analog autumn. Because you should always have a plan B. Even when you never do.
lain:Well, I guess there's always analog autumn. Because you should always have a plan B. Even when you never do.
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The reaction from CEO's, a *few* members of the GOP, and a handful of top military leaders in so far as calling out Trump for his support of the alt-right and racism has been encouraging. I would love to see either Flake, Rubio , Kasich or McCain as the GOP candidate for 2020 election.
annabenedetti
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I fell off the analog wagon today.
Well, I guess there's always analog autumn. Because you should always have a plan B. Even when you never do.
First day of fall is September 22.
My favorite time of the year.
annabenedetti
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It worked out to about 5 weeks with very little online time. I'd recommend it to anyone who'd like to unplug from the technological barrage for a short while or on a regular basis. Depending on how you use technology, that might mean keeping your phone out of arm's reach, or creating days where you're not getting on-screen along with your morning coffee or not having an online argument as your last activity of the day before going to bed.
Being a creature of this age, there are parts of technology I love, and the irony's not lost on me that I'm using technology to talk about not using technology. So moderation in all things, but working on making this a better way forward.
Being a creature of this age, there are parts of technology I love, and the irony's not lost on me that I'm using technology to talk about not using technology. So moderation in all things, but working on making this a better way forward.