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His broader point is that the medium melds the form of the message. In ancient times we'd have "Old Wive's Tales" that pass the good information around. In a

His broader point is that the medium melds the form of the message. In ancient times we'd have "Old Wive's Tales" that pass the good information around. In a Technopoly you have the same information taking the form of scientific papers. Even for things which may not be science. The secondary point is when you divorce these pieces of information from their culture they become something else. > Do we really think that people with lesser access to technology have better understanding of the world than those that have no internet access? This seems related to what Nassim Taleb would say, "It's easier to macro bullshit than to micro bullshit." IE. Your barber/chef cannot bullshit you, but your economist/software engineer can. Over time the good information gets processed via something like natural selection and you end up with good ideas persisting. So it's not clear to me that a society with the level of information and no clear anchors is full of more understanding than those in the past. See: Lindy Effect It's a very convincing argument. See Twitter, Facebook (/r/insancepeoplefacebook) et all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect

manfredo 8y ago
> Your barber/chef cannot bullshit you, but your economist/software engineer can. I strongly disagree. Nearly all of the serious misunderstandings of the world I have harbored in the past I believed because I trusted the words of key individuals I held in high regard. Your reference to r/insanepeoplefacebook actually demonstrates that many people are able to recognize false information online.
- base698 8y ago
  Eh, so if you get a dinner that taste like shit or a haircut that looks lumpy and terrible you can't tell? Held in high regard isn't the point, it's that you know what bad food tastes like. It's nearly impossible to tell whether an economist on television making market predictions has done due diligence or is just talking out of his ass.
  - manfredo 8y ago
    Perhaps I misunderstood your comparison. I thought your comment was saying that interpersonal interactions in general (like a conversation with your barber) don't spread BS as well as internet apps. It seems like you were referring to the barber's ability to convince you that his skills are up to par?

manfredo 8y ago

> Your barber/chef cannot bullshit you, but your economist/software engineer can. I strongly disagree. Nearly all of the serious misunderstandings of the world I have harbored in the past I believed because I trusted the words of key individuals I held in high regard. Your reference to r/insanepeoplefacebook actually demonstrates that many people are able to recognize false information online.

base698 8y ago
Eh, so if you get a dinner that taste like shit or a haircut that looks lumpy and terrible you can't tell? Held in high regard isn't the point, it's that you know what bad food tastes like. It's nearly impossible to tell whether an economist on television making market predictions has done due diligence or is just talking out of his ass.
- manfredo 8y ago
  Perhaps I misunderstood your comparison. I thought your comment was saying that interpersonal interactions in general (like a conversation with your barber) don't spread BS as well as internet apps. It seems like you were referring to the barber's ability to convince you that his skills are up to par?