Irrelativity: Are we being crowdsourced into irrelevance through a war on words and artful use of information?

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

Charles Dickens “A Tale of Two Cities”

Race:

Energy:

Climate:

Culture:

Education:

Health Care:

Global Food:

Immigration:

Government:

Environment:

Foreign Policy:

Veterans Affairs:

National Security:

Terrorism and the Long War:

In the book “Disconnected: Haves and Have-nots in the Information Age” William Wresch discusses the power of information, where “In the Information Age, information is power. Who produces all that information, how does it move around, who uses it, to what ends, and under what constraints?  Who gets that power? And what happens to the people who have no access to it?” With respect to the latter question, I might add “And what happens to the people who have lost any semblance of control over it?”

This is not a sales pitch for this book or the myriad of others that discuss the power, use and misuse of information.

It is a discussion on the subtlety of the underlying theme of being disconnected. Intentionally, unintentionally, by design or by happenstance? Might we just be under the spell of those who understand the power of information, the power of its divisive use and the potential influence that information has on dividing us through the relatively new phenomena of crowdsourcing? And, in looking at how information is used more pervasively than ever, how by design and the artful use of insight and knowledge management we may find ourselves being played in a way that is making most if not all of us irrelevant. Is that what we really want? I don’t have all the answers, and maybe for that matter I don’t have any, but I am curious.

This is a short discussion about how we all, collectively, need to realize the power of information and a troubling trend in its use. It is one opinion on how, if we do not stand up and embrace its power and influence and use it to our advantage, we just may be experiencing an unintended consequence of being manipulated down a path leading us to obscurity.

It is not my intent to conduct a deep dive into each of the topics above, nor is it my intent to create yet another rant on one side of the political fence or another. Rather, I will merely bring some general observations and thoughts on the subject and let you all come to your own conclusions.

So let us begin this discussion with a look back at Charles Dickens lead in to A Tale of Two Cities. Think about it. Written in 1859, might this serve as an example for us all to reflect upon the context of our current state of affairs? As George Santayana is attributed as saying “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. “ Regardless of your opinion of his philosophy, might we be headed down a path where we are not only repeating the past, but quite possibly being led down an information super-hiway of obfuscating rhetoric and emotional sensationalism towards a future not entirely of our choosing? A hiway fueled by those who want to own and drive information in a manner that serves only to bolster their power, while destroying any semblance of common sense, civility or meaningful dialogue? What happens when the information haves get to the point where they can manipulate information and by extension each of us knowing full well that through the artful manipulation of data and information we get so bogged down in the “currency” of it all, that we fail to learn from the past, let alone intelligently think things out for the future?

With that as a backdrop, then let’s take a look at some of the major issues driving the political scenes of the day. There are others out there, but I have chosen just a few that seemingly creep their way into our everyday lives, into our discussions, and in many respects a global dialogue of unfolding change. Race, energy, climate, culture, education, health care, global food, immigration, government, environment, foreign policy, veterans affairs, national security, terrorism and the long war. Yes there are challenges and issues for each one of these, but let’s regain our agility and demand/expect more as we assess each and determine plausible solutions for each with knowledge, insight and common sense.  Let’s stop allowing symptomatic sensationalism drive the train and take a look at the illness (real or perceived) and come up with logical, long standing, sustainable approaches for a better world. In demanding more, and in using information to advantage, let’s stop the madness of allowing entities to merely confuse issues, tap into our emotions and become the taxi drivers of information and by default, dictating our place in it all. I wonder what Clausewitz might say if he were able to reflect on the “uber” power of information and its corresponding friction and fogginess?

“ All appears so simple, all the requisite branches of knowledge appear so plain, all the combinations so unimportant, that, in comparison with them, the easiest problem in higher mathematics impresses us with a certain scientific dignity.”

It seems like almost every issue, every discussion, every debate, every post, every breaking news story immediately delves into a subjective yin and yang and back and forth where those who control the information understand that in so controlling and owning it, they can portray any issue with their own set of agenda behind it all and artfully lead us down the road of their choosing.  By design or merely as a result of the ubiquity of it all, friction and fog become ever present in the world of information and the profoundness of it all that is changing the very fabric and landscape of our globalness.

Change is never easy, but I for one think that we all are much smarter than to be allowed to be herded in this direction or that direction like puppets on a string. Addressing any issue is hard work, but I for one think we are smarter than merely allowing ourselves to sit passively by and listen to all the Lip Smackin rhetoric going on that seemingly has the ulterior motive of dividing and conquering.

Why then the crowdsourcing analogy linkage to irrelativity? Because if we follow what is happening in our world today and allow it to continue unchecked/unabated then we merely allow those who control information to perpetuate our crowdsourcing through its use to lead us down whichever path they chose. Do we truly want to be crowdsourced into oblivion?

In watching how some use information to advantage, they have made it clear that its use is merely a passive aggressive means to an end. In using information as a tool to manipulate, divide and conquer might its use just be an orchestrated approach to enhance the best interest of those who “have” control of the information not for the mainstream of society? In some respects it just makes one think, or then again maybe not.

Why is it, for example, that we allow those who control information to misuse it and not hold them accountable? Why is it, that we find it so easy to call out one entity or another as being hate mongerers, facists, etc….and provide free passes and just give in to the others on both sides of the fence that pathologically lie, lie, lie? Ok, maybe lie is too strong of a word. How about we say use information to twist the truth to where they aren’t totally telling the truth while not totally lying in the process.  Then again, maybe lie is a good word to use in the context of this discussion as folks carefully bait and switch us, or present information in an unaccountable form of plausible deniability for any issue of their choosing where their ends justify the means.  Come on folks, we deserve and can do better than allowing this absurdity to continue unchecked.

In using information to advantage, have some created an illusion where in having access to “it,” and where we all believe we are so tied in and informed that we don’t realize that the reality just may be the opposite. Through this illusion, have we created a conundrum where the majority of us have unwittingly become information “have nots.”  The value of the internet and other sources of information is that we all have the intellect and the common sense to read between the lines, the jockeying and purveying of information and the disinformation, the baiting and switching and the plausible deniability of it all. I say this because so much information is seemingly designed to foment anger and keep us distracted, divided and irrelevant while those who ultimately control the use of information lumber on with their agenda.

So as I said earlier, I don’t have all the answers, and maybe for that matter I don’t have any, but I am curious. I for one will continue to use my voice, compile my information and use my intellect with the ultimate goal of understanding it all in an effort to make a difference. I will not allow those with an agenda lead me towards “irrelativity.” I will not allow them, whomever “they” may be, to succeed in doing so. I think that individually and collectively, we are better than that. And as Robert Frost would say:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

You decide.