Missing Persons

A summary of:
Lanier, J. (2010). You Are Not H5N1 Gadget: H5N1 Manifesto. Allen Lane: London.
Chapter 1: Missing Persons

Lanier urges us to deed swiftly to alter the bad bits of Web 2.0 earlier it gets "locked in" (3). Of detail occupation is the way inwards which Web 2.0 "fragments" people as well as demeans interpersonal interaction (3).

Certain pattern choices favor the crowd over the individual, which way that continued pattern along these lines seeks "to brand the pack mentality equally efficient equally possible," rather than "inspir[ing] the phenomenon of private intelligence" (5).

Even at this early on stage, nosotros tend to retrieve of the designs equally beingness inevitable. Lanier reminds us that at that spot were alternative visions of these mesh technologies which were non adopted equally the dominant design, which, it should last noted, does non reverberate their inferiority. The illustration Lanier uses of how designs larn "locked in" is that of MIDI, which solidified the notion of the atomized complaint to last used forevermore inwards diverse technologies requiring synthesized music (e.g. mobile phones). There is a profound divergence betwixt the variety of lock-in that occurs inwards scientific discipline - such equally the straightaway accepted circular earth, which is adopted based on the idea's merit - as well as the variety that happens amongst technology. Technological lock-in "removes pattern options based on what is easistest to program, what is politically feasible, what is fashionable, or what is created past times chance" (10).

This same lock-in is already occuring inwards computing. The notion of the "file" became entrenched amongst the adoption of UNIX equally the dominant design. At 1 point, an alternative, Ted Nelson's Xanadu, "conceived of 1 giant, global file," which effectively made it as well as thus that "the whole of a user's prdocutivity accumulated inwards 1 big structure, dissever of similar a singular personal spider web page" (13). I honey this idea! Imagine the creative potential for interaction as well as engagement! Allowing people to induce got a personal experience amongst technology, rather than feeling similar an anonymous pixel - that seems similar a much to a greater extent than spiritual path.

It is slowly to larn hysterical, but I practice non retrieve Lanier exaggerates when he writes, "What Happened to Trains, Files, as well as Musical Notes Could Happen Soon to the definition of a Human Being" (13).

The lesson from this is that inwards lodge to avoid lock-in, nosotros must ever consider pattern alternatives as well as last willing to convey the to a greater extent than hard path.

Lanier argues that people who prepare applied scientific discipline induce got a swell bargain of power, as well as amongst that a responsibleness to consider the touching on of their technologies:

"We inventors of digital technologies are similar stand-up comedians or neurosurgeons, inwards that our move resonates amongst deep philosophical questions; unfortunately, we've proven to last misfortunate philosophers lately" (4).

The mesh equally nosotros know it straightaway was borne out of potentially admirable politics which sought to brand digital resources available to non simply the elite but to all people. Lanier calls the proponents of opened upwardly culture/Creative Commons equally "cybernetic totalists" or "digital Maoists" (16/17). I'm a big ole Commie myself, as well as thus I totally "get it." But something has gone incorrect inwards the designs, such that the vision of universal access has been allowed to overshadow other critical pattern ideas, e.g. the valuing of each of these participating humans. In a sense, the cybernetic totalists induce got devalued the human, reducing each of us to our utility, as well as substituted our character for our quantity (i.e. nosotros are equal to our spider web presence, the release of hits nosotros larn when nosotros Google ourselves). In short, nosotros must consider how our reverie of the mesh equally a "superhuman creature" (14) may last catalyzing the "degredation of ordinary people" (15).

Lanier identifies the regulation pattern mistake: "The deep important of personhood is beingness reduced past times illusions of bits. Since people volition last inexorably connecting to 1 roughly other through computers from hither on out, nosotros must detect an alternative" (20). Particularly when you lot consider his tilt that "Spirituality is committing suicide. Consciousness is attempting to volition itself out of existence."

Lanier seems to retrieve that at that spot are withal healthier ways of engaging amongst our electrical flow technologies. He implores people to follow these principles (21):
1. Avoid posting anonymously.
2. Make certain you lot are non putting inwards to a greater extent than campaign into your online life than your existent life, e.g. if you lot pass fourth dimension on a Wikipedia post, pass to a greater extent than fourth dimension explaining these ideas to people face-to-face.
3. Avoid templatized anything - practice your ain websites to limited something templates won't let you lot to express.
4. Put campaign into your contributions, value quality; e.g. upload a 1 infinitesimal youtube video that took at to the lowest degree 100 minutes to create.
5. Think earlier you lot post. Reflect.
6. Seek novel modes of human face inwards whatever technological medium - e.g. last creative amongst your Tweets.
I would advise that piece these are seemingly the best nosotros tin practice at the moment, nosotros should never settle for these equally the solution to the problem. The solely solution is to innovate. So betoken vii should last to pattern your ain interactions as well as technologies.