Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut

This splendid book, by a media scholar and Internet enthusiast, advocates a "technorealist" approach to the information age. Rejecting the polar extremes of techno-utopians and neo-luddites, Shenk argues for a position that appreciates the benefits of technological advance whilst being prepared to recognize and respond to the problems attending that same advance.

One of these problems is "data smog" - the contamination that occurs beyond the point where the law of diminishing returns checks in on information: "where the glut of information no longer adds to our quality of life, but instead begins to cultivate stress, confusion, and even ignorance." (p. 15) We forget at our peril the crucial distinction between gathering information and  converting it into knowledge and wisdom.

Written with a wonderful sense of humor and proportion, Data Smog is also a beautifully organized book. It is arranged in four thematically integrated parts which build around Shenk's 13 Laws of Data Smog. These laws encapsulate the humor, proportion, and strong sense of personal identity that characterize Shenk's work. They are as down to earth as they are wise. For example: computers are neither human nor humane; putting a computer in every classroom is like putting an electric power plant in every home; too many experts spoil the clarity; all high-stim roads lead to Times Square; birds of a feather flock virtuallytogether; and (Gingrich's Law) cyberspace breeds libertarianism.

In Part 1, "Signal to Noise", Shenk examines the transition from information scarcity to information glut, and asks what the impliations of data overload are for our memories, relationships and sense of self.

Part 2 analyses the social and political consequences of an out of control information revolution under the theme of "Virtual Anarchy" - code for a culture "beset by constant 'upgrades,' a troublesome flood of statistics, an upward spiral of noise . . . and a democracy arguably too 'plugged in' for its own good" (p. 16).

In Part 3, "A New Order," Shenk investigates the dark side of power dynamics emerging from info chaos. For some - "a medley of unsavory characters and powerful industries" (ibid) - data smog is a "fresh opportunity" rather than a serious issue and problem.

The final part of the book seeks a way toward a more "intelligent tranquility," framed as a return to meaning. Central to this quest is a call to build an equilibrium between the production, distribution and processing of information - "the three basic elements of our information ecology" (p. 182).

Shenk appends the technorealist charter to his argument. This brief statement of eight principles, drawn up by Shenk himself, Andrew L. Shapiro and Steven Johnson, is put forward as a response to current excesses of cyber-libertariansim. The principles assert that (1) technologies are not neutral; (2) the Internet is revolutionary, but not Utopian; (3) government has an important role to play on the electronic frontier; (4) information is not knowledge; (5) wiring the schools will not save them; (6) information wants to be protected; (7) the public owns the airwaves, the public should benefit from their use; (8) understanding technology is an essential component of global citizenship.

Written in an engaging and highly readable style which does not sacrifice depth for accessibility, Data Smog is highly recommended reading. In the words of Edward Tenner (author of Why Things Bite Back), Data Smog is "a must for anyone feeling overwhelmed but underserved by today's information sources."

From the pages of Data Smog

Just as fat has replaced starvation as this nation's [USA] number one dietary concern, information overload has replaced information scarcity as an important new emotional, social, and political problem. "The real issue for future technology," says Columbia's Eli Noam, "does not appear to be production of information, and certainly not transmission. Almost anybody can add information. The difficult question is how to reduce it." (p. 29)

"People just don't understand how tumultuous this technological revolution is going to be. They think the world will look pretty much the way it does now, just faster. But they don't get it: It's going to be a completely different world. I'd say democracy has about a fifty-fifty chance of survival" (from an interview with a senior executive of a leading software company, p. 53)

[The] fixation with computers in the classroom is understandable. Relatively speaking, it is a cheap and quick fix. The problem is, it's not a fix at all . . . Alan Kay, one of the legendary pioneers of personal computing, testified to Congress in 1995 . . . in most [computerized] classrooms, on closer examination I can see that the children are doing nothing interesting or growth-inducing at all! This is technology as a kind of junk food - people love it but there is no nutrition to speak of. At its worst, it is a kind of "cargo cult" in whch it is thought that the mere presence of computers will somehow bring learning back to the classroom." (p. 74)

Since nearly any argument imaginable can now be supported with an impressive data set, the big winner is . . . argumentation itself. Journalist Michael Kinsley calls this "stat wars." Factionalism gets a big boost from the volleys of data, while dialogue and consensus - the marrow of democracy - run thinner and thinner every year. (p. 97)

[Since] claims are more likely to be believed in an environment of information glut, consumers are almost certain to be increasingly vulnerable to commercial and political solicitations. Since today's glutted environment renders these same consumers distracted and easily open to the suggestions of these hyper-informed marketers, data smog may just be the best thing to come along for marketers since planned obsolescence (p. 152-3)

[According to Newt Gingrich] "the information age . . . means more decentralization, more market orientation, more freedom for individuals, more opportunity for choice, more capacity to be productive without controls by the state." Gingrich is absolutely correct. But it's important to remember that unbridled decentralization and market orientation will also have some unwelcome consequences for all of us. In this emerging electronic frontier, common discourse is no longer nurtured, and the notion of a government as a guarantor of public health, safety, and welfare is seriously threatened (p. 174).

 

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