Raise the Hammer

It certainly is a big ol' mess Ryan, and it does seem, in our culture anyway, that its influence is akin to the transformative impact of the automobile, moreover then that of moveable type ... It is almost brutal how it permeates just about every aspect of our daily lives now, from things as simple as banking and placing a phone call to standing in a variety store while the behind-the-counter 'big screen' pumps advertising in our eyes and ears .... For those who do not (and cannot) separate themselves, this ocean of media IS 'Reality', more so then what is Real. It intrigues me, as example, that some are better able to define, name and identify with programme series fictional characters in inventive and intricate plot-lines, then they are aware of the differences, and practical uses, of an oak or an ash tree. .... It's this pervasive intrusion into our minds-eye that's increasingly insidious. Worth asking, what percentage of our respective 'memories' now are residuals of decades of accumulated 'screen culture'? I'd say it's easily 30-40%. There's hardly any way to 'get away' from it anymore, by choice, in our culture. .... And yet, conversely, BILLIONS around the world, who are 'not connected' in any way, envy and aspire towards the 'utopian visions' projected by our available technologies. A Chinese teenager sells his organs for an iPhone and iPad. An African woman sells her blood almost to the point of collapse in order to get a television for her family ... These people are desperate to 'get it'. They desire to 'belong' to a hitherto inaccessible world of 'progress', 'modernity' and 'commerce'. It is considered a route to better their lives, even if it means getting it with a sacrifice of a kind that is certainly difficult for us, in the developed First World, to imagine, let alone consider. Who would go to such lengths to gain 'access' to the 'screen world' when we are so fully immersed already? Only addicts. ... A few years ago I took part in a government-generated Copyright forum that was discussing 'content' on the internet. I was particularly struck by one participant's admission that he would "panic" if he did not have 'internet' access. That remark spoke volumes to the addictive nature of his 'screen time' engagement. He, and many many others like him, might be willing to sell his blood ... Altogether tell-a-vision is most certainly "transforming people's relationships to information, knowledge, memory" and "TIME." .... As to whether or not it will transform 'our' relationship to existing 'control' structures, I don't know about that. Arab Spring is one thing, but Disney is quite another. Corporations and governments overshadow both. (Note, the Disney logo I used in the article was the only one I could find on the net that was not 'legally protected' by Disney. They seem particularly aggressive about 'Copyright' and protecting their 'brand'. ) .... Access to 'screen culture' is controlled, fundamentally, by manufacturers, and, as you've rightly noted, if the technology changes too rapidly before users can adapt, it will result in confusion, frustration and possibly even backlash in rejection and/or violence. Some have lower thresholds then others.... #Gamergate is one such 'reaction' to change. ... Yes, the meme mash-ups continue .... McLuhan remarked, "We become what we behold". Right now, a projected 'FREE-for-all' masquerades alarmingly rigid structures worth billions of dollars that operate most efficiently with minds on Wall Street, then minds on Main Street. We are the cattle, they are the 'herders'.