Friday, December 19, 2008
Monkeys follow popular culture
Monkeys follow popular culture
Popular culture can be deciphered as information passed down from one generation to another. The cultural beliefs are given to children through the eyes of their caretakers but just as the printing press changed this trajectory of information so has the internet. The information era is as revolutionary as the printing press. Opinions and beliefs of different people can be read by several and in turn influence the changing culture. People are exposed to numerous options and can pick and choose their own principles. Novels such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” expose the gender constraints enforced by a patriarchal society. When revealing adversities and hypocrisy, people are made aware of atrocities such as oppression and injustice. Both of the former novels uncovered feminine shackles enforced by society. The internet exposes various cultural influences by the sheer magnitude of articles available and allows for the masses to make informed conclusions.
Postmodernists of the technological age predicted a globalized society forming groups not geographically but philosophically. The overlapping information accessible across the globe allows for alliances made by common convictions as opposed to nationality. This was superseded by terrorist attacks which renewed patriotism in a way not seen since world war two.
Rigid religious beliefs dominated popular culture for many centuries but with the development of the printing press it allowed for people such as Mary Wollstonecraft, William Blake, William Godwin, Percy Shelley and Darwin to expose other viewpoints on feminism, slavery, evolution and the church. The revelation of other radical popular beliefs permitted the change of society and without this development slavery and women as property would still be acceptable. Popular culture may be seen as frivolous especially in a time of great excess, but without it there would never be any change or improvement.
Improvement is not the only result; in contrast, fundamentalist groups have gained strength through the internet. Unfortunately misinformation, propaganda and the worst, disinformation are abundant in the cyber world. Anti Semitic, racist and violent groups find a way to gather and gain momentum; however, this is not just a symptom of the computer age, as can be seen with the Nazi party. Propaganda will always find a way to get out. It is sent out in large numbers over the computer and can be disseminated with great speed to accumulate many followers in a short amount of time. The problem is not the misinformation which will always occur, but it is the magnitude of the dissemination. Many people still believe what they read without researching it.
Research is one of the most advantageous advances of the computer age. Although misinformation is given over the internet, people can in turn use the internet to confirm or discredit what is read. If used properly the information age can be helpful in deciding the validity of what is written. Hypertext is a prime example of a useful research tool; one can look up different opinions of the text and can link to other related topics building on the information already given. If given different opinions people can critically decipher what they are reading and the internet allows for this. Reading all items on the internet should be done with a critical eye.
Disinformation is the lowest of the low, never underestimate the evil intentions of some individuals or institutions to say or write whatever suits a particular purpose, even when it requires deliberate fabrication. Misinformation is when a person interprets something wrong and misinforms unknowingly. This is apparent when there is no editorial control which contributes to this problem. Excellent resources reside alongside the most dubious. Proper use of the internet is essential and educating the masses of how to be critical can also be the job of the internet. The internet serves as human’s contaminator and savior.
Popular culture can be deciphered as information passed down from one generation to another. The cultural beliefs are given to children through the eyes of their caretakers but just as the printing press changed this trajectory of information so has the internet. The information era is as revolutionary as the printing press. Opinions and beliefs of different people can be read by several and in turn influence the changing culture. People are exposed to numerous options and can pick and choose their own principles. Novels such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” expose the gender constraints enforced by a patriarchal society. When revealing adversities and hypocrisy, people are made aware of atrocities such as oppression and injustice. Both of the former novels uncovered feminine shackles enforced by society. The internet exposes various cultural influences by the sheer magnitude of articles available and allows for the masses to make informed conclusions.
Postmodernists of the technological age predicted a globalized society forming groups not geographically but philosophically. The overlapping information accessible across the globe allows for alliances made by common convictions as opposed to nationality. This was superseded by terrorist attacks which renewed patriotism in a way not seen since world war two.
Rigid religious beliefs dominated popular culture for many centuries but with the development of the printing press it allowed for people such as Mary Wollstonecraft, William Blake, William Godwin, Percy Shelley and Darwin to expose other viewpoints on feminism, slavery, evolution and the church. The revelation of other radical popular beliefs permitted the change of society and without this development slavery and women as property would still be acceptable. Popular culture may be seen as frivolous especially in a time of great excess, but without it there would never be any change or improvement.
Improvement is not the only result; in contrast, fundamentalist groups have gained strength through the internet. Unfortunately misinformation, propaganda and the worst, disinformation are abundant in the cyber world. Anti Semitic, racist and violent groups find a way to gather and gain momentum; however, this is not just a symptom of the computer age, as can be seen with the Nazi party. Propaganda will always find a way to get out. It is sent out in large numbers over the computer and can be disseminated with great speed to accumulate many followers in a short amount of time. The problem is not the misinformation which will always occur, but it is the magnitude of the dissemination. Many people still believe what they read without researching it.
Research is one of the most advantageous advances of the computer age. Although misinformation is given over the internet, people can in turn use the internet to confirm or discredit what is read. If used properly the information age can be helpful in deciding the validity of what is written. Hypertext is a prime example of a useful research tool; one can look up different opinions of the text and can link to other related topics building on the information already given. If given different opinions people can critically decipher what they are reading and the internet allows for this. Reading all items on the internet should be done with a critical eye.
Disinformation is the lowest of the low, never underestimate the evil intentions of some individuals or institutions to say or write whatever suits a particular purpose, even when it requires deliberate fabrication. Misinformation is when a person interprets something wrong and misinforms unknowingly. This is apparent when there is no editorial control which contributes to this problem. Excellent resources reside alongside the most dubious. Proper use of the internet is essential and educating the masses of how to be critical can also be the job of the internet. The internet serves as human’s contaminator and savior.
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