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Lol I hadn't heard that interpretation. Personally it's too interpretive for me. Ive always accepted the tautological version -- similar to TANSTAAFL: Informati

Lol I hadn't heard that interpretation. Personally it's too interpretive for me. Ive always accepted the tautological version -- similar to TANSTAAFL: Information wants to be free -- simply because the cost of duplicating and distributing information in digital form is basically 0.. all information is free. Not really speaking to the quality of said information and this is not as strong as what you have said -- it's useful because clearly policy makers and lay people often can't internalize this economic truth. Ie this is the same definition of information as in the phrase information theory.

slededit 9y ago
I think this really ignores the difficult problem of disseminating information which was much more challenging before the internet. We weren't limited by how fast we were printing books but how hard it was to find information already printed. A book on its own is useless if nobody knows about it. The real idea here was that the internet would be a game changer. Not only would information be available immediately - but you could actually find it. When it became cheap to find "correct" information the idea was that would dominate. The implicit assumption was that people actually wanted correct, accurate and truthful information. In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy.
- dungle6 9y ago
  > In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy. Quotes abound including Ben Franklin about how people will believe what they damn well want to. This isn't a new revelation by any means save for some technocrats that probably were too autistic to understand human nature. On the otherhand Information wants to be free has always been able to make a non moralistic statement that is true without respect to human behavior. The cost of information is not due to anything human. The reason why this is still a powerful statement is that it makes it clear that outside of totalitarian control (from SOPA to real jackboot dictatorships) you can't control the dissemination of information even amongst the peasantry. Of course if this information is news.. it could be garbage.. and often is.
  - slededit 9y ago
    I'm speaking of this quote as it applied to the internet in the mid-90s. Back then there really was this idea that the internet would have changed everything. Not just for those who were naturally curious and wanted the information but for those who didn't even know they wanted it. The idea was if only people knew this information was out there they would naturally seek and spread it. You need to look at who the original people using the internet were. Generally speaking they were the students of research Universities who would be naturally inquisitive. Their bias for learning blinded them from the realities of most people who simply don't care. The truth has no direct use for them. I also don't think seeking out validating information is the wrong choice for most people. If you weren't going to do anything with the information anyways you might as well get the endorphin rush validation brings.
- dungle6 9y ago
  > In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy. Quotes abound including Ben Franklin about how people will believe what they damn well want to. This isn't a new revelation by any means save for some technocrats that probably were too autistic to understand human nature. On the otherhand Information wants to be free has always been able to make a non moralistic statement that is true without respect to human behavior. The cost of information is not due to anything human. The reason why this is still a powerful statement is that it makes it clear that outside of totalitarian control (from SOPA to real jackboot dictatorships) you can't control the dissemination of information even amongst the peasantry. Of course if this information is news.. it could be garbage.. and often is.
- dungle6 9y ago
  > In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy. Quotes abound including Ben Franklin about how people will believe what they damn well want to. This isn't a new revelation by any means save for some technocrats that probably were too autistic to understand human nature. On the otherhand Information wants to be free has always been able to make a non moralistic statement that is true without respect to human behavior. The cost of information is not due to anything human. The reason why this is still a powerful statement is that it makes it clear that outside of totalitarian control (from SOPA to real jackboot dictatorships) you can't control the dissemination of information even amongst the peasantry. Of course if this information is news.. it could be garbage.. and often is.

slededit 9y ago

I think this really ignores the difficult problem of disseminating information which was much more challenging before the internet. We weren't limited by how fast we were printing books but how hard it was to find information already printed. A book on its own is useless if nobody knows about it. The real idea here was that the internet would be a game changer. Not only would information be available immediately - but you could actually find it. When it became cheap to find "correct" information the idea was that would dominate. The implicit assumption was that people actually wanted correct, accurate and truthful information. In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy.

dungle6 9y ago
> In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy. Quotes abound including Ben Franklin about how people will believe what they damn well want to. This isn't a new revelation by any means save for some technocrats that probably were too autistic to understand human nature. On the otherhand Information wants to be free has always been able to make a non moralistic statement that is true without respect to human behavior. The cost of information is not due to anything human. The reason why this is still a powerful statement is that it makes it clear that outside of totalitarian control (from SOPA to real jackboot dictatorships) you can't control the dissemination of information even amongst the peasantry. Of course if this information is news.. it could be garbage.. and often is.
- slededit 9y ago
  I'm speaking of this quote as it applied to the internet in the mid-90s. Back then there really was this idea that the internet would have changed everything. Not just for those who were naturally curious and wanted the information but for those who didn't even know they wanted it. The idea was if only people knew this information was out there they would naturally seek and spread it. You need to look at who the original people using the internet were. Generally speaking they were the students of research Universities who would be naturally inquisitive. Their bias for learning blinded them from the realities of most people who simply don't care. The truth has no direct use for them. I also don't think seeking out validating information is the wrong choice for most people. If you weren't going to do anything with the information anyways you might as well get the endorphin rush validation brings.
dungle6 9y ago
> In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy. Quotes abound including Ben Franklin about how people will believe what they damn well want to. This isn't a new revelation by any means save for some technocrats that probably were too autistic to understand human nature. On the otherhand Information wants to be free has always been able to make a non moralistic statement that is true without respect to human behavior. The cost of information is not due to anything human. The reason why this is still a powerful statement is that it makes it clear that outside of totalitarian control (from SOPA to real jackboot dictatorships) you can't control the dissemination of information even amongst the peasantry. Of course if this information is news.. it could be garbage.. and often is.
dungle6 9y ago
> In practice it turns out people prefer information that validates their opinions, regardless of accuracy. Quotes abound including Ben Franklin about how people will believe what they damn well want to. This isn't a new revelation by any means save for some technocrats that probably were too autistic to understand human nature. On the otherhand Information wants to be free has always been able to make a non moralistic statement that is true without respect to human behavior. The cost of information is not due to anything human. The reason why this is still a powerful statement is that it makes it clear that outside of totalitarian control (from SOPA to real jackboot dictatorships) you can't control the dissemination of information even amongst the peasantry. Of course if this information is news.. it could be garbage.. and often is.