Re: <nettime> Learning from Prada (PART 1)

[Kevin Semande <kevin@26a.net>]

Hi all,

This is quite an interesting discussion, and I thought I'd throw in my
comments as a "lay person".  I am not studying these issues academically
as you are, but I hope my thoughts might be of some value....

There is one idea that has captured my imagination in the past little
while, one that relates to calculus.  I was having a discussion with some
friends about how different the world is today than it was in our parents'
time.  Someone mentioned that, not only has technology itself changed the
world, but the _rate of change_ of technology itself has also changed with
profound consequences.  When the rate of change of technology is so fast,
the gap between generations becomes like a chasm.  For those of us who
learned to type in grade school, our world can scarcely be understood by
our parents.  

We asked ourselves: while all generations experience the commonly
understood "generation gap", is the gulf between us and our parents
greater than that of any other generation?  Has this fundamentally changed
the relationship between the family's elders and its young?  Has this
really led to a breakdown in the inter-generational passing of knowledge?
(I should not have to point out that this tactic is a bedrock of h.
sapiens' survival) If so, then how should technologies of mass- and
instant-communication be viewed: are these technologies able or willing to
fill a "vaccuum of socialization"?

To me, this seems very likely.  As much as our thoughts may play a part in
the "virtual" reality of the technological era, our lives are inescapably
physical.  We look at technology as the foundation for an augmented
physical space.  Perhaps our desire to augment rises out from the vaccuum
described above.  Perhaps the desire to improve reality is not so unique,
but our inability to address that desire is what arises from the vaccuum. 


I propose that a major factor motivating the drive toward "augmented
physical reality" is our loss of other mechanisms -- specifically, the
mechanisms of inter-generational knowledge-sharing and problem-solving. 
Consider this statement: "For anyone under thirty [years old], there are
no more heros; technology is the only hero."  This may not be true, but
there is some truth in it.  

My $0.02

KS

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