To “consume OR create”…this is the notion being bandied about in the technology echochamber of today. The perception of the content consumer has been relegated to a distracted, shallow procrastinator who is but a mere bit player with a reliance on the grandiose visions of entrepreneurial content creators. The prospects of being the next tech billionaire have overshadowed the benefits that modern information access has thrust upon us. The internal struggle to appropriately ration attention has created a false dichotomy; wherein, if you’re not creating, then you’re focusing your finite attention on idle consumption. Like most seemingly binary choices, incredulity is the appropriate response. Consumption and creation are not adversarial, they are discretionary acts whose balance must be struck by the individual–preferably for altruistic means. A myopic focus on the effects of over-consumption and under-creation overlooks the potential hazards of under-consumption and over-creation. If over-creation is being driven by the goal of establishing an egoic legacy and not on the behalf of actual demand or posterity, then this creator could greatly benefit from consuming more information to gain a greater knowledge of self and humanity. The aforementioned in no way validates conspicuous consumption, it’s just meant to shine a light on the actual benefits of moderate consumption. Depending on how much we choose to consume, the information troughs of today can be seen as a gift or a curse. Ultimately, the consumer must realize that their precious attention is the de facto currency of the web. Being mindful/present as to where our attention is being distributed, will allow us to effectively create AND consume.
Digital Agoraphobia
If agoraphobia is the fear of wide open spaces or uncontrolled social conditions, then digital agoraphobia is the fear of the open web or uncontrolled social media. From those in the newspaper business to corporate security engineers, there seems to be an inherent fear of an open and uncontrolled digital future. The world has shifted from a time where news media was controlled by editors and digital content was closed off by proprietary technologies and stored away behind silos/paywalls. This change has caused binary thought to pervade our public discourse wherein an open/uncontrolled web is distorted by fear mongerers. A democratized digital future is purported to be the exact opposite–a haven for data thieves, uninformed amateurs, and enemies of capitalism. When it comes to debating the merits of technological progress, we need to avoid the logical fallacy of false dilemma and accept the notion that nuance is necessary.
What is BIT and where is the Divide
Typing in “define:bit” into Google Search yields many results, but nothing definitive. “BIT” means many things to many people–typically dependent on the context it’s used in. If presented with a Warshack Test for the word “bit”, I would like to think that I would immediately associate the term with the following:
- Since I’m a developer by day, binary digit would be my initial reaction. In this sense, a bit has one of two boolean values–zero or one.
- My training in IT Project Management leads to my next association, an acronym representing Business/IT. Business and IT are integral units within an organization that allow a corporation to add value by successfully leveraging information and technology.
- Outside of the business lexicon, bit can refer to a small portion of a much larger entity (e.g. time, food, or a theatrical performance).
- The term can also be used to refer to material mediums (e.g. a metal piece in a horse’s mouth, money, or the cutting piece of a drill).
With this blog, I will delve into the many connotations of “BIT” and attempt to construct one all-encompassing metaphorical definition. If I’m able to maintain focus in proving out this hypothesis, I expect to create enough content to publish a kindle book and halo effect deliverables. In the event that I’m unable to complete this effort, the “Divide” wins…