Truth?

Andrew Keen's Cult of the Amateur is going to be a difficult read for me. Not so much in the words but in the thoughts themselves. Even reading the cover and overview the DUH sensation takes over. Of course the Internet is going to change our way of life. Just like printing changed the Scribes, so will the internet change our way of communication. But wait... maybe I should not read Keen's book till some scribe gets around to writing it for me?

I'm really just getting started reading in depth and to page 17 before I felt the need to start typing on the blog as a response. "In the era of exploding media technologies there is no truth except the truth you create for yourself." I dont think the first part of that sentence is needed. I do think it is very true that "There is no truth except the truth you create for yourself." The difference is NOW with the media we no longer have that "truth" dictated to us by the media. Now we have broad platforms of information to gather and to make our own informed decisions. If we do not use the technology to our advantage to learn and to grow, well then we sell ourself short.

So now, back to my reading until something else makes me want to type on this blog.

..... Time passes and I'm now on page 31 of the book. I'm back to feeling insulted again by Keen. Does he think that I am not capable of reading things and not believing everything I read? Teaching one to read critically and not to believe everything is one of the basic principles I learned in school longer ago than I can remember. Maybe Keen will propose this later in the book instead of just whining about change, but maybe, just maybe, we should start teaching children to read critically and to check sources more carefully now that we do have the internet to use. Teach them to use the internet as a tool to research and question, not just believe.

Ok.. back to the book.

Page 48 and I've finally found something to agree with Keen on. That when it comes to facts, that there will be both blogs of junk and then more accurate posts by trained profressionals (in this case the media reporting on Katrina). I do believe that more and more we will find sites, news media, etc that we can rely on for objective facts (I wont speculate which or who here) and we will tend to gravitate to them when we see something that is sensationalized. Therefore, I dont think trained professionals will be out of a job, but I do think their role and how things are submitted on the web/marketed will change .. just dont ask me how yet.

More discussion about YouTube and can we tell the difference between entertainment and commercial. The answer to that is ... there may be cases where the ad is subtle. I have no doubt that is the case. So far I've read the changes he doesn't like. I'm still waiting for him to offer a solution.

After YouTube, now is the closing of a music store, change in movies, and newspapers and blaming it on the web... so...... ?

So after reading.. I'm now starting in on solutions - chapter 8. I read the introductory paragraphs and had to stop to type here again. I'm back to major frustration with him.. Can anyone say, "I want my cake and eat it too?"

One minute he is point out how the music industry adapts by selling ringtones etc.. the next he is saying we dont want to allow the "public" to destroy the industry as we know it. From what I know, it has NEVER been the consumer's responsibility to keep a merchant in business, rather it is the merchants responsibility to meet customer's needs and provide a service the customer is willing to pay for. How is the web different? Doesnt it behoove a merchant to find ways to embrace the internet and use it for their advantage ? What is wrong with YouTube ads?

"Parents too can play a key role..." where he is talking about protecting children from internet predators. The primary role of the parent is to protect their children. Or at least that was/is my role as a parent/grandparent. Why is it any different on the web than other life activities? While I am sure there are some parents who dont protect their children (there are some parents who allow 4 year olds to play in the street with cars coming to..) I dont rely on anyone else to protect my family and that includes MySpace, Facebook, NetNanny, etc, etc.

Hmmmmm. So we need to keep our entertainment industry that has shaped our culture and values? Personally, my values are NOT those of the entertainment industry. Shall we not simply go back to the Puritan age and enforce those values ?

So now that I've finished the book, I'm not sure where web 2.0 is headed but I am sure that stopping it in the interest of culture is not the right thing to do... anymore than using scribes instead of type setting is the right thing to do.