Information terrorism
I recently watched one of a series of YouTube videos generally titled 'Did you know?' These clips provide the viewer with a lot of statistics on globalization and related topics. There's one specifically on 'Globalization, Information Age':
It's a little five-minute journey through a bunch of statistics loosely related to globalization.
While there is no question facts like these are interesting (and undoubtedly make great sound bytes for presentations), the thing that seriously annoys me about pieces like this is, what are we to do with or about them?
This is not totally unfamiliar territory, of course, just the latest edition in a mildly paranoid freak-out. I have to wonder if this is a uniquely American phenomenon. Pieces like 'The World Is Flat' and others have provided a similar perspective before, and I'm sure there will be many more pieces in the future.
An example of a statistic from the YouTube piece:
- 'During the course of this presentation, 60 babies will be born in the U.S. 244 babies will be born in China. 351 babies will be born in India.'
OK - so what? What do we take away from this? What's the action in this context?
Even things that at first seem vaguely actionable - 'The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today's learner will have 10 to 14 jobs...by age 38' - again, I wonder, so what? What does that mean about what I might need to do differently today or in the near future?
The video wraps up with the exact question I'm asking: 'What does it all mean?'
And the answer: 'Shift happens.'
WTF? What kind of answer is that?
Pieces like this YouTube video have a slightly ominous air about them and, to me, come off as scare tactics, similar to the US Homeland Security Advisory "Threat Level" system.
(As of today, the 'threat level' is 'elevated' - 'Significant Risk of Terror Attacks'. So what the hell does that get us? Should be be in a state of catlike readiness for...something? Do we duct tape our windows? Or simply eye each other with more suspicion than usual?)
Similarly, in the event of more 'learners', or more mobile workers, as the video states...what do we do, right here and right now?
We unquestionably need to be prepared for a very different future, a future that we can see glimpses of right now. There will definitely be more people in the world, in much closer virtual and physical proximity. There will definitely be a shift in global demographics. Our globe will definitely be warmer. There will definitely be more points of access to learning and information.
But to me, the YouTube piece smacks of what I think of as 'information terrorism'. These pieces complicate the issues rather than clarifying them. FoxNews is notorious for this practice (and for interrupting the 6 and 6:30 Simpsons broadcasts in Colorado, too). In their teasers for their late-night news, they'll say things like, 'Find out why your grocery store parking lot might not be as safe as you think!' or 'A new scam might be robbing you of your retirement money! Find out more at 10.' Inevitably, there's something fear-inducing - but completely inactionable based on the information they give you.
Sure, they're trying to drive traffic to their newscast. But the practice of spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt - to drive ratings or for many other reasons - is being used much too regularly these days, especially since 9/11 and the 'war on terror'. People have seen these kinds of tactics effectively used by the current US administration, and unfortunately have been adopting these practices in other areas.
This is where being discriminating about your inflow of information becomes critical. Rather than get overwhelmed and freaked out by all these statistics, stop a moment, take a breath and ask what you can do today, right now, to make things better.
Maybe you can work from home today and cut your personal transportation emissions for this week by 20%. Maybe I can enhance someone's learning experience by pointing them to a great source of information to which they wouldn't otherwise have access. Maybe you can really listen to someone and offer something from your own experience that can help them. Maybe I can do one unselfish thing today.
And maybe your understanding and compassion will help one person to be just a bit less suspicious of others today, and maybe they'll reach out to someone as well.
Maybe today we'll learn something that's not about just freaking out.
I don't think you are getting it. The idea of the video is to generalize about current globalization/information technology trends not so to scare, but to prepare. To get you thinking.
You will have to figure out how you will deal with not only a world that is changing, but a world where change is accelerating. Sometimes you have to figure out the context and answers yourself. You can't always rely on others to provide context and answers.
That said, the film is kind of lame, and I've seen almost all of these observations before.
You should read Thomas L. Friedman's "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century". He makes many of the same observations, but does add context and draws conclusions.
Posted by Mark on June 27, 2007 at 11:15 AM MDT #
Your point is a good one. I certainly don't expect all the answers to be handed to me (and I didn't mean for the tone to sound like that), but I do at least expect some context. In my view, if there's no context, then you lose most (if not all) of your meaning.
For example, if I'm a health practitioner, I will have a distinctly different action and reaction than a CIO to the information that China and India have higher birth rates than the US.
I think high-level statistics such as presented in the YouTube piece, without any specific target or purpose, are somewhat drained of meaning, and that's where I occasionally feel overwhelmed (as I imagine many people do) by this kind of thing.
I did pick up 'The World is Flat' when it was first published, but admit I did not get through it. I will try it again!
But I'm curious - how have you changed your actions by knowledge of these kinds of facts? What do YOU do differently now with this knowledge?
Posted by Scott Brown on June 28, 2007 at 03:57 PM MDT #
Posted by Carolyn A. Colborn on July 05, 2007 at 05:47 AM MDT #
Posted by Scott Brown on July 05, 2007 at 06:42 AM MDT #