Most people have no more definite idea of liberty than that it consists in being compelled by law to do as they like – Ambrose Bierce
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Monday, 3 September 2012
Ten reasons
Cartoonist Rob Cottingham left a comment on my recent post Early Days about online friendships which I headed with one of his cartoons. The link was to a TEDx talk (above) and blog post you might find interesting.
The contents of the video are emphatically not real. A finger-pointing, shouty American who is telling me the way it is, and how we have all got it wrong, and how I should think, and who uses stock rhetorical tricks like....pauses....and who seems to be so, like vibrant and committed, is surely not real.
She is an LSD flash-back, surely, or possibly an ominous warning of some personal mental difficulties ahead...
The HBR article brought to mind an Umberto Eco book 'Faith in Fakes ' - "America's obsession with simulacra and counterfeit reality." as Wikipedia says. This idea segues itnto Ryan Holiday's 'Trust me I'm Lying', a tale of internet media manipulation in America. The importance of media manipulation by 'What Americans Really Want' by Dr Frank Luntz - a gentleman who has expanded Orwell's ideas beyond Eric's worst nightmares.
The video - I came out by the same door I went in - execubabble. I read somewhere that internet advertising was not bringing in the moolah to sponsors, perhaps she hopes if we reveal our souls the moolah will follow - as if.
Whilst it seems unwise to reveal too much, the blogs I see seem reasonably genuine - the Facebook/Twitter world much less so. To create a totally false persona seems a game for children, but given the infantilising influence of mass media it is the children who now have the votes.
Due to spam comments and now the UK Online Safety Act, comment moderation is on. Anonymous or impolite comments or comments likely to be flagged by the system are liable to be treated as spam.
The contents of the video are emphatically not real. A finger-pointing, shouty American who is telling me the way it is, and how we have all got it wrong, and how I should think, and who uses stock rhetorical tricks like....pauses....and who seems to be so, like vibrant and committed, is surely not real.
ReplyDeleteShe is an LSD flash-back, surely, or possibly an ominous warning of some personal mental difficulties ahead...
The HBR article brought to mind an Umberto Eco book 'Faith in Fakes ' - "America's obsession with simulacra and counterfeit reality." as Wikipedia says. This idea segues itnto Ryan Holiday's 'Trust me I'm Lying', a tale of internet media manipulation in America. The importance of media manipulation by 'What Americans Really Want' by Dr Frank Luntz - a gentleman who has expanded Orwell's ideas beyond Eric's worst nightmares.
ReplyDeleteThe video - I came out by the same door I went in - execubabble. I read somewhere that internet advertising was not bringing in the moolah to sponsors, perhaps she hopes if we reveal our souls the moolah will follow - as if.
Whilst it seems unwise to reveal too much, the blogs I see seem reasonably genuine - the Facebook/Twitter world much less so. To create a totally false persona seems a game for children, but given the infantilising influence of mass media it is the children who now have the votes.
Agree with Sam.
ReplyDeleteSam, Roger and James - I agree, I found it a little ominous too.
ReplyDelete