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The way I've come to view culture is that it is a byproduct of communication. Stick three people in a room and have them talk to each other, eventually they com
by eduren 10y ago
The way I've come to view culture is that it is a byproduct of communication. Stick three people in a room and have them talk to each other, eventually they come to share a culture (a small one, but nonetheless significant to them)[1]. If it's indeed a byproduct, it follows that the amount of culture generated is directly proportional to the bandwidth/speed of that communication.
In that interpretation, the internet can only be an accelerating force; driving society forward into greater levels of social consciousness.
[1]: A relevant XKCD comes to mind https://xkcd.com/915/ https://xkcd.com/915/
- wu-ikkyu 10y ago>If it's indeed a byproduct, it follows that the amount of culture generated is directly proportional to the bandwidth/speed of that communication. I agree that the mediums of communication of a society have a significant effect on the culture the users, but is "culture" something that can really be objectively quantified? Perhaps it may be more accurate to say that the speed in which a culture lives is related to the speed of communication.
- eduren 10y agoYeah you're right. It's not really quantifiable in a numbers sense. I was trying to say the same thing you are that the speed of the two things is related (directly proportional is the phrase I used).
- TelmoMenezes 10y ago> In that interpretation, the internet can only be an accelerating force; driving society forward into greater levels of social consciousness. Not necessarily. Take evolutionary processes. Diversity arises in part from isolation. This is why the Galapagos are such a crazy local ecosystem. The Internet globalises all communication -- it is easy to see how this can lead to more "bandwidth" as you say, but less actual cultural output.
- eduren 10y agoI like the evolutionary analogy. I agree that the global nature of internet communication will most probably lead to a homogenization effect. Truly distinct cultures will soften over time. The lack of diversity would reduce the output, but by how much? I see it as a second term in the equation we're (informally) discussing. A negating factor to be sure, but I think the net result will still be in the positive direction.
- TelmoMenezes 10y agoThanks :) You might be right, of course. I hope so.