The InterActivist
You'll get pie in the sky when you die.-Joe Hill
The Ongoing Paradox Of Progress
The increasing capabilities of the mass media to influence our lives are moving swiftly and directly in accordance with the advancements in the technology we so crave.
Whereas good old wood pulp newspapers once flourished as the reigning champion of news, there have, and always will be, others vying for such a coveted position.
Many moons ago, oral traditions dictated the dissemination of media. L.H. Samuelson, the daughter of a European missionary, observed that process in Africa. She dubbed this method “human wireless telegraphy.” Not a far rhetorical cry from our modernized world of blogging and hologram interviews. But is that really the modern world of media? Or are we actually mentally bound to such an archaic paradigm?
Naturalist Henry David Thoreau considered the constant upward-moving state of technology as “improved means towards unimproved ends.” That amounts to the fact that while our technology seemingly advances our lives, we’re really in no different a position than we used to be.
The town criers who spread hard news throughout quaint villages and country roads play the same role as the citizen journalists who broadcast their perceptions from their computer screens. The simple difference is the latter don’t wear out their vocal chords. Matthew Drudge is no different than the oral newsboys of yore.
Given the inevitability of advancements in technology, one comes to a paradox of sorts. That must not be surprising to the reader, however. The human spirit is full of paradoxical qualities. It is a pointillist painting lathered in juxtaposed sensibilities.
The paradox of progress is an innate human feature that has managed to tough all realms of society – the media are far from immune. On one hand, students of the world can look back on human history and smile the great smile of the future. We’ve come a long way - that much is clearly evident. But is that an improvement? Are we much farther down the existential road of advancement, or are we still sitting in the same positions after countless centuries of banality? Or – and try this one on for size – have we fluttered backwards, diving tail-first into a maelstrom of negation?
New technology is a pretty hip thing. It dazzles us and reflects our star-struck thoughts back into our retinas. However, consider a rough connection: in most dystopian societies (and for now, they’re still purely fictional), technology and its effects are the driving force behind the bleak outlook for mankind.
That whole notion produces many grandiose questions (as paradoxes typically will do). If advancing technology produces the opposite intended effects, then is it worth pursuing the latest gadgetry? Well, it quite reasonably is. The problem is manifested in new technologies, but they are not the essence of the problem.
Over a few millennia, human nature hasn’t changed terribly much. If it bleeds, it still leads, and triviality reigns supreme — it simply has more outlets now. A significant point to ponder is what to do about all this existential gridlock. Maybe nothing can be done. However, resignation to such a pretty fate is far worse than no attempt at changing the course.
The media, like knowledge and power, are brilliant tools. Human nature, however, lends itself so readily to lethargy. Our progress has been awe-inspiring. We certainly have come a long way. But as we march forward through the dunes of time, we must ponder the rationale behind such ideas. Have the ends at which we are arriving become any more just? No, we just happen to get there faster, thereby allowing more time to sink into the cold embrace of digital screens.
Apparently we are after instant information gratification. In order to obtain it, news outlets (particularly in the broadcast medium) attempt to cram as many ratings-grabbing bits as possible into an audience-friendly package. And these really do only amount to “bits” — the etymological cousins of “sound bites.”
Quantity of news has gone as far through the roof as Sir William Wonka’s glass elevator. It’s a breathtaking phenomenon. With it, however, has come a sharp decrease in the overall quality of news. That is nothing new (pun intended), but it does serve blatantly to illustrate the path we’re on in regards to the news media. Actually, it also paints a vivid picture of the reality of human life.
Technology, with its upgrades in speed and overall abilities, also helps open new doors. Many of these new outlets are great tools, though some are pointless at best.
With the onset of the Internet Age, many people have taken it upon themselves to don the glimmering badge of citizen journalism. Wonderful! A significant population has been galvanized with this electrifying new outlet. Unfortunately, free thinkers are simply shoved into a slightly larger margin – the limbo of modernity. Gossiping tabloid tyrants still shill the opiates of the masses. The streets are flooded with the maniacal outpourings of inanity. Again, we’ve vastly improved the means, but the ends haven’t really changed.
A simple illustration is the election night coverage by CNN. In the midst of a monumental night for this country – a riveting reaffirmation of hardcore American values – talking heads like Wolf Blitzer led the audience down an alley of distractions. The hologram interviews with irrelevant celebrities were an utterly pointless demonstration of something that merely recalls scenes from “Star Wars.” It’s a purely aesthetic point, but valid nonetheless.
The paradox of progress is a fundamental problem with the human condition. Progress for the sake of progress is an obvious waste of time, yet we continue to celebrate it – the great neo-American pastime. Given such a blatant scenario, it’s frightening to consider the rapidity of such advancements. These things appear on store shelves and in the iron gaze of television screens faster and faster. It’s a recipe for insanity. What it amounts to is the human spirit becoming drunk with power – lying immobilized on the bathroom floor and inevitably suffering through freshman hazing rituals.
“Progress” is a good thing, but so are many blanket terms like that. We as humans need to reallocate our priorities and commitments to our species. We may have shiny new toys to stuff into time capsules and give our generation some surface credit, but that again falls into the trap of materialism.
It will take a mighty opposing current to hijack the marionettes’ strings and promote cultural awareness in the face of a rapidly advancing/deteriorating collective mindset. Whether that lies in the hands of the media is hard to say. Judging by precedence, the outlook is grim. But, when it all comes down to it, look outside. The sun is still shining, and if you look real hard for it, there’s still evidence of greenery and nature amongst all the cement and brick. There are a few constants left untouched in this world, we just need to search them out. Veritas vos liberat
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