Today we have almost infinite and ultimate
information and knowledge virtually at the fingertips of all. This knowledge is
compounding exponentially. Today about 20 to 25% of the world have access to
smartphones. Around 35 to 40% have TV access. Knowledge Nirvana is just a
keyboard stroke away. Yes indeed it is the great and true democratisation of
knowledge. Google is the God of knowledge, whom most of the digerati pay homage
to few times a day through multi devices. The net and Google are the gateway to
the rapidly expanding / exploding cosmos of knowledge.
Earlier knowledge was the preserve of a few. Only the privileged had access to knowledge which was found between covers to books. Books too were printed manually hence highly limited. Only those who could afford these rare limited editions could access knowledge. In a way Gutenberg changed all this with the printing press which was the first wave of multiplying depositories of knowledge.
Earlier knowledge was the preserve of a few. Only the privileged had access to knowledge which was found between covers to books. Books too were printed manually hence highly limited. Only those who could afford these rare limited editions could access knowledge. In a way Gutenberg changed all this with the printing press which was the first wave of multiplying depositories of knowledge.
This wealth of knowledge which comes virtually free has on
the flipside an infinite cost which humanity has to bear. Indeed it’s the Faustian
choice where Dr Faustus trades his soul for knowledge and power. Mankind by
inventing this Frankenstein has tread into hitherto unchartered cyberspace and
hurtling towards the age of singularity which Dr Kurzweil talks of. Even
children for the past five years have taken to these wifi gadgets which with their
alluring touch screens ensnare them to the infinite reaches of labyrinth of the
World Wide Web. These kids are developing ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder). This is not only restricted to kids, even adults are suffering from narrowing
attention spans. Information overload is crippling sanity and mindfulness.
Man is getting closer to robots which these mass weapons of
instant knowledge. Some people have started spending most of their waking hours
on the net. This addiction is taking serious proportions. There are dark
unregulated pools in the net where lot of cybercrime is taking place. Sex too
is a major attraction for many on the digital highway. Movie Her has been
inspired by these concepts. Majority of people in developed economies live
single. Hence need for digital companions and lives to escape from loneliness.
This is indeed dehumanizing mankind. The scifi movies we see
are a reality which bearing upon us fast. There is no turning back. The digital
and surreal cyber future is now.
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