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JustinColanninoSecondPaper 12 - 28 Mar 2010 - Main.JustinColannino
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="SecondPaper" |
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< | *Under Construction* | | | John Henry, The Internet, and the New Autonomy
JustinColannino | |
>
> | John Henry driving on the right side
That steam drill driving on the left
Says, "Before I'll let your steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna hammer myself to death, Lord, Lord
I'll hammer my fool self to death"
-- Traditional | | | | |
<
< | The American folk story of John Henry tells the story of a man who wins a railroad spike driving contest against a steam powered drill. However, despite John Henry's best efforts, we now depend on mechanization to produce our railroads. Since then, mass production has poured into our culture - from railroads to automobiles, household goods, clothing, music, and books. This essay will discuss the implications of mechanization on our ability to shape who we are and the society surrounding us, and how the internet presents a way for us to reassert our autonomy, enhancing our capacity for self fulfillment. | >
> | The American folk story of John Henry tells the story of a man who wins a railroad spike driving contest against a steam powered drill. However, despite John Henry's best efforts, we now depend on mechanization to produce our railroads. Since then, mass production has poured into our culture - from railroads to automobiles, household goods, clothing, music, and books. This essay will discuss the implications of mechanization on our ability to shape who we are and the society surrounding us, and how the internet presents a way for us to reassert our autonomy, enhancing our capacity for self fulfillment. | | | "A man ain't nothin' but a man"
Human beings are made of culture. In many ways, each of us is a product of what we are exposed to. What we want, like, and believe varies depending on where we are born and who our parents are. Due to each of our particular experiences growing up, we express different preferences. Holmes loves granite rocks and barberry bushes, while I prefer tree-lined side streets with cracks filled in with tar. | |
<
< | A corollary to this observation is that what we choose to do affects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture, producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us, shaping their world view. This in turn influences their actions, creating observational ripples back to us. These ripples affect our choices, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture. | >
> | A corollary to this observation is that what we choose to do affects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture, producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us, shaping their world view. In turn, their actions create observational ripples back to us. These ripples influence our choices, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture. | | |
"The Captain said to John Henry, I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round'" | |
<
< | The mechanized production of goods, services, and artistic works in this system affects the way that culture is produced too. Instead of the democratic paradigm - with each of us producing the same amplitude of ripples throughout the system when we act - mechanized production and delivery has the ability to create shockwaves through the culture system. Those with control over production and distribution have their decisions observed by more people, influencing more behavior and allowing them to possess an asynchronous capability to shape who we are.
This expanded capability has wide ranging effects into each and every portion of our lives. Television producers influence how we laugh with our friends, operating system designers influence how how we use computers, textbook makers influence how we learn to think, fashion designers influence what label (or lack thereof) fits 'us' the best, magazine editors influence what constitutes a 'normal' relationship, body type, or frame of mind, and mechanized production of crafts influences our sense of quality, practicality, and usefulness. In this sense, the designers of the mass produced goods influence what we want, how we work, and who we are. | >
> | The mechanized production of goods, services, and artistic works in this system affects the way that culture is produced too. Instead of the democratic paradigm - with each of us producing the same amplitude of ripples throughout the system when we act - mechanized production and delivery has the ability to create shockwaves through the culture system. Those with control over production and distribution have their decisions observed by more people, which influences more behavior resulting in an asynchronous capability to shape culture and who we are. | | | | |
<
< | <--[We have all experienced this phenomena. Examples if space? USNEWS & WORLD REPORT FOR LAW SCHOOLS??]--> | >
> | This expanded capability has wide ranging effects into each and every portion of our lives. Television producers influence how we laugh with our friends, operating system designers influence, and in some cases dictate, how how we use computers, textbook makers influence how we learn to think, fashion designers influence what label (or lack thereof) fits 'us' the best, magazine editors influence what constitutes a 'normal' relationship, body type, or frame of mind, and mechanized production of crafts influences our sense of quality, practicality, and usefulness. In this sense, the designers of the mass produced goods influence what we want, how we work, and who we are. | | | This does not imply that an average person is powerless to shape themselves against these forces. Quite the opposite, this model describes a situation where we choose our actions in response to these forces; and through these choices we shape ourselves out of the culture that surrounds us. The implication is, however, that the control over this mass production affects the building blocks out of which we make ourselves, yielding a great deal of influence concerning who we are to those in control of the mechanization.
"That ain't no storm, Captain, that's just my hammer in the air" | |
<
< | The internet gives those with access the means to touch as wide a range of people as those whose decisions can be amplified by mechanized production and distribution. Creating and posting writings, audio, and video that can be accessed by any interested party is quick and simple. Further, this ability does not just extend to traditional media. For example, sites like etsy serve as a marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade goods, allowing people to make and sell goods to people across the globe. There are also communities that share design plans in formats that allow people to replicate their designs using a fabrication machine. Other tools allow people to comment and collaborate on top of other people's content, such as dispute finder and shift space. Finally, sites like reddit and digg replace the traditional role of editor with a community that votes upon articles which they find interesting or valuable. | >
> | The internet gives those with access the means to touch as wide a range of people as those whose decisions can be amplified by mechanized production and distribution. Creating and posting writings, audio, and video that can be accessed by any interested party is quick and simple. Further, this ability does not just extend to traditional media. For example, sites like etsy serve as a marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade goods, allowing people to reach people across the globe with their own creations. There are also communities that share design plans in formats that allow people to replicate their designs using a fabrication machine. Other tools allow people to comment and collaborate on top of other people's content, such as dispute finder and shift space. Finally, sites like reddit and digg replace the traditional role of editor with a community that votes upon articles which they find interesting or valuable. | | | | |
<
< | The implication of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person increasingly has the power to reach others with the same amplification effect as the mechanized producers. This tendency is towards the democratic ideal of culture - each of us with an equal opportunity to influence each other, and thus a better chance at determining our own destiny. John Henry hammered against the steam drill in order to keep his humanity in an ever more mechanized world. The internet is our tool to do the same - to participate in and develop the cultural forces out of which we are made. | >
> | The implication of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person increasingly has the power to reach others with the same amplification effect as those in control of mechanized production. This tendency is towards the democratic ideal of culture - each of us with an equal opportunity to influence each other, and thus a better chance at determining our own destiny. John Henry hammered against the steam drill in order to preserve the humanity of his profession in an ever more mechanized world. The internet is our tool to do the same - to participate in and develop the cultural forces out of which we are made.
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JustinColanninoSecondPaper 11 - 27 Mar 2010 - Main.JustinColannino
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="SecondPaper" |
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| | | JustinColannino
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<
< | The american folk song John Henry tells the story of a man who wins a railroad spike driving contest against a steam powered drill. However, despite John Henry's best efforts, we now depend on mechanization to produce our railroads. Since then, mass production has poured into our culture - from railroads to automobiles, household goods, clothing, music, and books. This essay will discuss the implications of mechanization on our ability to shape who we are and the society surrounding us, and how the internet presents a way for us to reassert our autonomy, enhancing our capacity for self fulfillment. | >
> | The American folk story of John Henry tells the story of a man who wins a railroad spike driving contest against a steam powered drill. However, despite John Henry's best efforts, we now depend on mechanization to produce our railroads. Since then, mass production has poured into our culture - from railroads to automobiles, household goods, clothing, music, and books. This essay will discuss the implications of mechanization on our ability to shape who we are and the society surrounding us, and how the internet presents a way for us to reassert our autonomy, enhancing our capacity for self fulfillment. | | | "A man ain't nothin' but a man"
Human beings are made of culture. In many ways, each of us is a product of what we are exposed to. What we want, like, and believe varies depending on where we are born and who our parents are. Due to each of our particular experiences growing up, we express different preferences. Holmes loves granite rocks and barberry bushes, while I prefer tree-lined side streets with cracks filled in with tar. | |
<
< | <-- [This needs some filling in you need to get from 1. our environment shapes us to 2. we are able to shape our environment, perhaps the corollary language fixes it] --> | | | A corollary to this observation is that what we choose to do affects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture, producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us, shaping their world view. This in turn influences their actions, creating observational ripples back to us. These ripples affect our choices, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture.
"The Captain said to John Henry, I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round'" | | | This expanded capability has wide ranging effects into each and every portion of our lives. Television producers influence how we laugh with our friends, operating system designers influence how how we use computers, textbook makers influence how we learn to think, fashion designers influence what label (or lack thereof) fits 'us' the best, magazine editors influence what constitutes a 'normal' relationship, body type, or frame of mind, and mechanized production of crafts influences our sense of quality, practicality, and usefulness. In this sense, the designers of the mass produced goods influence what we want, how we work, and who we are. | |
<
< | <--[We have all experienced this phenomena. Examples if space? USNEWS & WORLD REPORT??]--> | >
> | <--[We have all experienced this phenomena. Examples if space? USNEWS & WORLD REPORT FOR LAW SCHOOLS??]--> | | | This does not imply that an average person is powerless to shape themselves against these forces. Quite the opposite, this model describes a situation where we choose our actions in response to these forces; and through these choices we shape ourselves out of the culture that surrounds us. The implication is, however, that the control over this mass production affects the building blocks out of which we make ourselves, yielding a great deal of influence concerning who we are to those in control of the mechanization.
"That ain't no storm, Captain, that's just my hammer in the air"
The internet gives those with access the means to touch as wide a range of people as those whose decisions can be amplified by mechanized production and distribution. Creating and posting writings, audio, and video that can be accessed by any interested party is quick and simple. Further, this ability does not just extend to traditional media. For example, sites like etsy serve as a marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade goods, allowing people to make and sell goods to people across the globe. There are also communities that share design plans in formats that allow people to replicate their designs using a fabrication machine. Other tools allow people to comment and collaborate on top of other people's content, such as dispute finder and shift space. Finally, sites like reddit and digg replace the traditional role of editor with a community that votes upon articles which they find interesting or valuable. | |
<
< | The implication of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person has the power like never before to reach others with the same amplification effect as the mechanized producers. This tendency is towards the democratic ideal of culture - each of us with an equal opportunity to influence each other. This ideal has | | | \ No newline at end of file | |
>
> | The implication of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person increasingly has the power to reach others with the same amplification effect as the mechanized producers. This tendency is towards the democratic ideal of culture - each of us with an equal opportunity to influence each other, and thus a better chance at determining our own destiny. John Henry hammered against the steam drill in order to keep his humanity in an ever more mechanized world. The internet is our tool to do the same - to participate in and develop the cultural forces out of which we are made. |
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JustinColanninoSecondPaper 10 - 27 Mar 2010 - Main.JustinColannino
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="SecondPaper" |
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| | | <-- [This needs some filling in you need to get from 1. our environment shapes us to 2. we are able to shape our environment, perhaps the corollary language fixes it] --> | |
<
< | A corollary to this observation is that what we choose to do effects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture, producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us, shaping their world view. This in turn influences their actions, creating observational ripples back to us, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture. | >
> | A corollary to this observation is that what we choose to do affects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture, producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us, shaping their world view. This in turn influences their actions, creating observational ripples back to us. These ripples affect our choices, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture. | | |
"The Captain said to John Henry, I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round'" | |
<
< | The mechanized production of goods, services, and artistic works in this system effects the way that culture is produced too. Instead of the democratic picture - with each of us producing the same amplitude of ripples throughout the system when we act - mechanized production and delivery has the ability to create shockwaves through the culture system. Those with control over production and distribution have their decisions observed by more people, influencing more behavior and allowing them to possess an asynchronous capability to shape who we are. | >
> | The mechanized production of goods, services, and artistic works in this system affects the way that culture is produced too. Instead of the democratic paradigm - with each of us producing the same amplitude of ripples throughout the system when we act - mechanized production and delivery has the ability to create shockwaves through the culture system. Those with control over production and distribution have their decisions observed by more people, influencing more behavior and allowing them to possess an asynchronous capability to shape who we are. | | | This expanded capability has wide ranging effects into each and every portion of our lives. Television producers influence how we laugh with our friends, operating system designers influence how how we use computers, textbook makers influence how we learn to think, fashion designers influence what label (or lack thereof) fits 'us' the best, magazine editors influence what constitutes a 'normal' relationship, body type, or frame of mind, and mechanized production of crafts influences our sense of quality, practicality, and usefulness. In this sense, the designers of the mass produced goods influence what we want, how we work, and who we are.
<--[We have all experienced this phenomena. Examples if space? USNEWS & WORLD REPORT??]--> | |
<
< | This does not imply that an average person is powerless to shape themselves against these forces. Quite the opposite, this model describes a situation where we choose our actions in response to these forces; and through these choices we shape ourselves out of the culture that surrounds us. The implication is, however, that the control over this mass production effects the building blocks out of which we make ourselves, yielding a great deal of influence concerning who we are to those in control of the mechanization. | >
> | This does not imply that an average person is powerless to shape themselves against these forces. Quite the opposite, this model describes a situation where we choose our actions in response to these forces; and through these choices we shape ourselves out of the culture that surrounds us. The implication is, however, that the control over this mass production affects the building blocks out of which we make ourselves, yielding a great deal of influence concerning who we are to those in control of the mechanization. | | | "That ain't no storm, Captain, that's just my hammer in the air"
The internet gives those with access the means to touch as wide a range of people as those whose decisions can be amplified by mechanized production and distribution. Creating and posting writings, audio, and video that can be accessed by any interested party is quick and simple. Further, this ability does not just extend to traditional media. For example, sites like etsy serve as a marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade goods, allowing people to make and sell goods to people across the globe. There are also communities that share design plans in formats that allow people to replicate their designs using a fabrication machine. Other tools allow people to comment and collaborate on top of other people's content, such as dispute finder and shift space. Finally, sites like reddit and digg replace the traditional role of editor with a community that votes upon articles which they find interesting or valuable. | |
<
< | The implication of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person has the power like never before to shape culture with the same amplification effect as the mechanized producers.
This has a democratizing effect on culture, with each as able as any other to shape the culture, and thus, themselves. | | | \ No newline at end of file | |
>
> | The implication of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person has the power like never before to reach others with the same amplification effect as the mechanized producers. This tendency is towards the democratic ideal of culture - each of us with an equal opportunity to influence each other. This ideal has | | | \ No newline at end of file |
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JustinColanninoSecondPaper 9 - 27 Mar 2010 - Main.JustinColannino
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="SecondPaper" |
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| | | JustinColannino
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<
< | The american folk song John Henry tells the story of a man who wins a railroad spike driving contest against a steam powered drill. However, despite John Henry's best efforts, we now depend on mechanization to produce our railroads. Since then, mass production has poured into our culture - from railroads to automobiles, household goods, clothing, music, and books. This essay will first discuss the implications of mechanization on our ability to shape who we are and the society surrounding us, and how the internet presents a way for us to reassert our autonomy to shape who we are. | >
> | The american folk song John Henry tells the story of a man who wins a railroad spike driving contest against a steam powered drill. However, despite John Henry's best efforts, we now depend on mechanization to produce our railroads. Since then, mass production has poured into our culture - from railroads to automobiles, household goods, clothing, music, and books. This essay will discuss the implications of mechanization on our ability to shape who we are and the society surrounding us, and how the internet presents a way for us to reassert our autonomy, enhancing our capacity for self fulfillment. | | | "A man ain't nothin' but a man" | |
<
< | Human beings are made of culture. In many ways, each of us is a product of what we are exposed to. What we want, like, and believe varies depending on where we are born and who our parents are. Due to each of our particular experiences growing up, we express different preferences. Holmes loves granite rocks and barberry bushes, while I prefer tree-lined side streets with cracks filled in with tar. What we choose to do effects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us shaping their world view, which in turn influences their actions, creating ripples back from them, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture. | >
> | Human beings are made of culture. In many ways, each of us is a product of what we are exposed to. What we want, like, and believe varies depending on where we are born and who our parents are. Due to each of our particular experiences growing up, we express different preferences. Holmes loves granite rocks and barberry bushes, while I prefer tree-lined side streets with cracks filled in with tar.
<-- [This needs some filling in you need to get from 1. our environment shapes us to 2. we are able to shape our environment, perhaps the corollary language fixes it] -->
A corollary to this observation is that what we choose to do effects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture, producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us, shaping their world view. This in turn influences their actions, creating observational ripples back to us, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture. | | |
"The Captain said to John Henry, I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round'" | |
<
< | The mechanized production of goods, services, and artistic works in this system effects the way that culture is produced too. Instead of the democratic picture - with each of us producing the same amplitude of ripples throughout the system - mechanized production and delivery has the ability to create shockwaves through the culture system, so that those with control over such production have an asynchronous ability to shape who we all are. This ability has wide ranging effects into each and every portion of our lives. Television producers influence how we laugh with our friends, operating system designers influence how how we use computers, textbook makers influence how we learn to think, fashion designers influence what label (or lack thereof) fits 'us' the best, magazine editors influence what constitutes a 'normal' relationship or frame of mind, mechanized production of goods influences our sense of quality, practicality, and usefulness. In this sense, the designers of the mass produced goods influence what we want, what we do, and who we are. | >
> | The mechanized production of goods, services, and artistic works in this system effects the way that culture is produced too. Instead of the democratic picture - with each of us producing the same amplitude of ripples throughout the system when we act - mechanized production and delivery has the ability to create shockwaves through the culture system. Those with control over production and distribution have their decisions observed by more people, influencing more behavior and allowing them to possess an asynchronous capability to shape who we are. | | | | |
<
< | [We have all experienced this phenomena. Examples if space?] | >
> | This expanded capability has wide ranging effects into each and every portion of our lives. Television producers influence how we laugh with our friends, operating system designers influence how how we use computers, textbook makers influence how we learn to think, fashion designers influence what label (or lack thereof) fits 'us' the best, magazine editors influence what constitutes a 'normal' relationship, body type, or frame of mind, and mechanized production of crafts influences our sense of quality, practicality, and usefulness. In this sense, the designers of the mass produced goods influence what we want, how we work, and who we are. | | | | |
<
< | This does not imply that an average person is powerless to shape themselves against these forces. Quite the opposite, this model describes a situation where we shape ourselves out of the culture that surrounds us. The implication is, however, that the control over this mass production effects the building blocks out of which we make ourselves, yielding a great deal of influence concerning who we are to those in control of the mechanization. | >
> | <--[We have all experienced this phenomena. Examples if space? USNEWS & WORLD REPORT??]-->
This does not imply that an average person is powerless to shape themselves against these forces. Quite the opposite, this model describes a situation where we choose our actions in response to these forces; and through these choices we shape ourselves out of the culture that surrounds us. The implication is, however, that the control over this mass production effects the building blocks out of which we make ourselves, yielding a great deal of influence concerning who we are to those in control of the mechanization. | | | "That ain't no storm, Captain, that's just my hammer in the air" | |
<
< | The internet gives those with access the means to touch as wide a range of people as those who have mechanized production and distribution. This ability does not just extend to traditional media, writing on blogs or posting videos. For example, sites like etsy serve as a marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade goods, allowing people to make and sell goods to people across the globe. There are also tools that people can use, like makerbot, to design and make their own goods. Other tools allow people to comment and collaborate on top of other people's content, such as dispute finder and shift space. | >
> | The internet gives those with access the means to touch as wide a range of people as those whose decisions can be amplified by mechanized production and distribution. Creating and posting writings, audio, and video that can be accessed by any interested party is quick and simple. Further, this ability does not just extend to traditional media. For example, sites like etsy serve as a marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade goods, allowing people to make and sell goods to people across the globe. There are also communities that share design plans in formats that allow people to replicate their designs using a fabrication machine. Other tools allow people to comment and collaborate on top of other people's content, such as dispute finder and shift space. Finally, sites like reddit and digg replace the traditional role of editor with a community that votes upon articles which they find interesting or valuable.
The implication of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person has the power like never before to shape culture with the same amplification effect as the mechanized producers. | | | | |
<
< | The implications of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person has the power like never before to shape the culture around herself with the same tools used by the mechanized producers. This has a democratizing effect on culture, with each as able as any other to shape the culture, and thus, themselves. | | | \ No newline at end of file | |
>
> | This has a democratizing effect on culture, with each as able as any other to shape the culture, and thus, themselves. | | | \ No newline at end of file |
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JustinColanninoSecondPaper 8 - 27 Mar 2010 - Main.JustinColannino
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="SecondPaper" |
|---|
| | | The american folk song John Henry tells the story of a man who wins a railroad spike driving contest against a steam powered drill. However, despite John Henry's best efforts, we now depend on mechanization to produce our railroads. Since then, mass production has poured into our culture - from railroads to automobiles, household goods, clothing, music, and books. This essay will first discuss the implications of mechanization on our ability to shape who we are and the society surrounding us, and how the internet presents a way for us to reassert our autonomy to shape who we are. | |
<
< | 'A man ain't nothin' but a man' | >
> | "A man ain't nothin' but a man" | | | Human beings are made of culture. In many ways, each of us is a product of what we are exposed to. What we want, like, and believe varies depending on where we are born and who our parents are. Due to each of our particular experiences growing up, we express different preferences. Holmes loves granite rocks and barberry bushes, while I prefer tree-lined side streets with cracks filled in with tar. What we choose to do effects the choices that others make. We react to what we experience in others - manners, gestures, clothing, and goods. What others wear influences our idea of fashion, what we make influences how others make things, and when you read my last sentience it interacts with your mental picture producing some new state, perhaps not the one I intended. This concept can be modeled by imagining that what we do ripples out around us to those able to observe us shaping their world view, which in turn influences their actions, creating ripples back from them, shaping who we are out of the dynamic system called culture.
| |
<
< | 'The Captain said to John Henry, I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round' | >
> | "The Captain said to John Henry, I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round'" | | | The mechanized production of goods, services, and artistic works in this system effects the way that culture is produced too. Instead of the democratic picture - with each of us producing the same amplitude of ripples throughout the system - mechanized production and delivery has the ability to create shockwaves through the culture system, so that those with control over such production have an asynchronous ability to shape who we all are. This ability has wide ranging effects into each and every portion of our lives. Television producers influence how we laugh with our friends, operating system designers influence how how we use computers, textbook makers influence how we learn to think, fashion designers influence what label (or lack thereof) fits 'us' the best, magazine editors influence what constitutes a 'normal' relationship or frame of mind, mechanized production of goods influences our sense of quality, practicality, and usefulness. In this sense, the designers of the mass produced goods influence what we want, what we do, and who we are.
[We have all experienced this phenomena. Examples if space?]
This does not imply that an average person is powerless to shape themselves against these forces. Quite the opposite, this model describes a situation where we shape ourselves out of the culture that surrounds us. The implication is, however, that the control over this mass production effects the building blocks out of which we make ourselves, yielding a great deal of influence concerning who we are to those in control of the mechanization. | |
<
< | 'That ain't no storm, Captain, that's just my hammer in the air' | >
> | "That ain't no storm, Captain, that's just my hammer in the air" | | | The internet gives those with access the means to touch as wide a range of people as those who have mechanized production and distribution. This ability does not just extend to traditional media, writing on blogs or posting videos. For example, sites like etsy serve as a marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade goods, allowing people to make and sell goods to people across the globe. There are also tools that people can use, like makerbot, to design and make their own goods. Other tools allow people to comment and collaborate on top of other people's content, such as dispute finder and shift space.
The implications of the internet, as seen through these examples, is that an average person has the power like never before to shape the culture around herself with the same tools used by the mechanized producers. This has a democratizing effect on culture, with each as able as any other to shape the culture, and thus, themselves. |
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All material on this collaboration platform is the property of the contributing authors.
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