T R A N S C R I P T

THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW: A SOJOURN IN SOUND™ WITH CHRISTINE BUSH CHAPTER SEVEN: HOLD THE MAGIC IN YOUR PALM. WRITTEN, PRODUCED, AND HOSTED BY CHRISTINE BUSH.

PATREON RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26, 2021 PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: MARCH 5, 2021 CC‐BY‐SA 4.0

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THIS CHAPTER OF THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW: A SOJOURN IN SOUND, IS RELEASED UNDER AN ATTRIBUTION, SHARE‐ALIKE, FOUR POINT ZERO, INTERNATIONAL, CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE BY CHRISTINE BUSH, PERCHANCE MUSIC AND DIGITAL MEDIA, SERVICE MARK: 2020. ATTRIBUTION DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT NOW.PERCHANCEMUSIC.COM.

HOLD THE MAGIC IN YOUR PALM (ENGLISH LANGUAGE HAIKU BY JONATHA CHANCE) ======

GLOWING PIXELS CALL HOLD THE MAGIC IN YOUR PALM AND BE BORN AGAIN.

A1. GREETINGS. THIS IS CHAPTER SEVENOFTHE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW: A SOJOURN IN SOUND(TM). I'M CHRISTINE BUSH WITH MORE FROM MY COGNITIVE MEMOIR EXPLORING HOW LISTENING INFORMS OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE WORLD . . . AND HOW THE WORLD WE EXPERIENCE INFLUENCES HOW WE LISTEN.

A2. THIS IS THE FIRST SHOW OF 2021 AND I'M PLEASED TO WELCOME MY FIRST UNFORGETTABLE FIRE TIERSPONSOR: PIPA CUDAHY FINE ART IN CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA. PIPA CUDAHY IS A VISUAL ARTIST WHO WORKS IN ACRYLICS, PASTELS, AND CHARCOAL TO CREATE WHAT SHE CALLS "INTERPRETATIONS OF NATURE'S MYSTERY." I INVITE YOU TO DISCOVER AND ENJOY HER WORK ONLINE WHERE ORIGINAL CREATIONS, REPRODUCTIONS, AND GIFT CARDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE AT PIPAFINEART.NET(P‐I‐P‐A FINE ART DOT NET).

A3. I WILL BEGIN WITH A CAVEAT: I WILL BE SPEAKING IN THIS CHAPTER ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND OFFERING MY OWN SUBJECTIVE, BUT HONEST, CRITIQUE OF IT. YOU MAY FIND THAT MY THOUGHTS RUN AGAINST THE GRAIN.THIS IS A FEATURE, NOT A BUG. FOR THIS REASON, I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA PRACTICES IN THE THIRD PERSON WHENEVER POSSIBLE. SOME OF THE QUOTATIONS I HAVE INCLUDED DO NOT.

IN A WAY, IT IS ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE THAT THE NATURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD BE CONTESTED SINCE ONE OF ITS HALLMARKS IS DISCURSIVE HURLY BURLY. EVERYONE SEEMS 1 TO HAVE THEIR OWN HISTORY WITH VARIOUS PERMUTATIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA. IN THE PAST, I'VE HAD A FEW MEANINGFUL SOCIAL MEDIA ENCOUNTERS. I HAVE HAD MANY MORE FRUITLESS, AND SOME RATHER PAINFUL ONES.

A4. THAT BEING SAID, IT IS UNEQUIVOCALLY DIFFICULT TO AVOID “SOCIAL” PLATFORMS COMPLETELY. THE REACH OF SOCIAL MEDIA EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE STOCK MARKET DARLINGS. YOUTUBE, LINKEDIN, AND NEXT DOOR ARE MAJOR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS THAT, UNTIL RECENTLY, HAVE NOT BEEN PLACED ON THE SAME SHELF WITH FACEBOOK PROPERTIES, TWITTER, AND REDDIT. NONETHELESS, THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE: ONLINE PLATFORMS WHERE TRANSACTIONAL BEHAVIOR IS THE PRODUCT.

AS LONG AS CRITICAL THINKING IS EQUATED WITH #CANCELCULTURE, THE SOCIAL AND THE CIVIL WILL BE AT ODDS.

A5. IN THIS CHAPTER, I'M GOING TO SITUATE SOCIAL MEDIA WITHIN AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL FRAME TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT ROLE IT PLAYS IN THE PRODUCTION, DILUTION, FABRICATION, AND DESTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE.

I WILL SEEK OUTTHE INTERPLAY OF MAGIC, RELIGION, AND TECHNOLOGY WHILE CONSIDERING SOCIAL MEDIA AS PART OF A CONTINUOUS TRANSFORMATION DESCRIBED BY MARSHALL MCLUHAN.

I WILL EXAMINE THE DYNAMICS OF THE ATTENTION ECONOMY AND CONSIDER ITS IMPACT ON JOURNALISM AND MEDIA POLICY.

I WILL CONSIDER THE ROLE OF SOCIAL TECH IN THE EVENTS OF JANUARY 6.

I WILL MUSE ABOUT TWO FILMS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TOUCHSTONES FOR THE DISCOURSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

A6. IN SO DOING, I WANT TO UNMASK THE SECRET, UNSEEN SORCERY AT WORK WHEN ONE CHOOSES TO “SHARE” OR “LIKE” OR “FOLLOW” OR “TAG” OR “RATE” WITH A GOAL OF ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS: WHO (OR WHAT) IS LISTENING WHEN THESE ACTIONS OCCUR . . . AND WHY? I WILL ENLIST THE AID OF A WELL‐WORN PHRASE FROM SHAKESPEARE TO SHAPE THIS EFFORT.

A7. THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW CONTINUES.

B1. SCENE 1. "A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT..."

B2. THE SCIENCE FICTION WRITER AND FUTURIST ARTHUR C. CLARKE FORMULATED THREE LAWS, THE THIRD AND MOST CITED OF WHICH STATES THAT A SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IS INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM MAGIC. THIS SAME IDEA HAS BEEN TRACED BACK TO 2 EARLIER SOURCES, INCLUDING ONE BY VIRGINIA WOOLF IN THE 1920s.

PUT DIFFERENTLY, MAGIC IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR IGNORANCE AND TECHNOLOGY IS A KIND OF GOD.

B3. THE ENTANGLEMENT OF MAGIC AND RELIGION WITH TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO OUR ORIGIN STORIES AND CONTINUES THROUGH THE EXUBERANCE FOR TECH STOCKS TODAY. MYTHOLOGICALLY, IT IS FROM THE GODS THAT TECHNOLOGY CAME. FIRST AS A GIFT, THEN AS A CURSE. A QUICK TIMELINE OF TECHNOLOGY REVEALS ITS TENDENCY TO HAVE MYSTICAL ASSOCIATIONS, PROFOUND RAMIFICATIONS FOR SOCIETIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL AS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, SOMETIMES BENEFICIAL . . . SOMETIMES NOT.

B4. PROMETHEUS AND THE GIFT OF FIRE; PANDORA’S BOX; AGRICULTURE; STONEHENGE; GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL; ALCHEMY; THE PRINTING PRESS; ELECTRICITY; THE AIRPLANE; COMPUTERS; ATOMIC ENERGY; SPACE FLIGHT; THE INTERNET; THE MICROCHIP; THE WORLD WIDE WEB; THE MATRIX; Y2K; NAPSTER; WIKIPEDIA; FACEBOOK; TWITTER; VIRTUAL REALITY, SECOND LIFE, AUGMENTED REALITY;CYBER WARFARE; PLAYSTATION, XBOX; PRISM; CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA; BLOCKCHAIN; BITCOIN; TIKTOK; BIG DATA/MACHINE LEARNING/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE; SOLAR WINDS . . .

B5. IN HIS 1921 BOOK MANHOOD AND HUMANITY, A FORERUNNER OF WHAT BECAME THE THEORY OF GENERAL SEMANTICS, ALFRED KORZYBSKI [kore‐SZHIB‐ski] ORGANIZED THE BEHAVIORS OF FLORA AND FAUNA THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF "BINDING," BY WHICH HE MEANT ORGANISMS' PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL INTERACTIONS. PLANTS BIND CHEMISTRY. ANIMALS BIND TERRITORY. HUMANS, ACCORDING TO KORZYBSKI, BIND TIME BY STOCKPILING EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE, PASSING ALONG WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT. KORZYBSKI WROTE:

QUOTE‐01: "ALL HUMAN ACHIEVEMENTS ARE CUMULATIVE; NO ONE OF US CAN CLAIM ANY ACHIEVEMENT EXCLUSIVELY AS [THEIR] OWN; WE ALL MUST USE CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OTHERS, SOME OF THEM LIVING BUT MOST OF THEM DEAD."

B6. FAST FORWARD TO 2017: COGNITIVE SCIENTISTS STEVEN SLOMAN AND PHILIP FERNBACH WROTE A BOOK TITLED THE KNOWLEDGE ILLUSION: WHY WE NEVER THINK ALONE THAT RE‐FORMULATES KORZYBSKI'S TIME‐BINDING PREMISE FOR THE INFORMATION AGE, WITH AN INTERESTING TWIST.

ONE RESULT OF TIME‐BINDING IS, PARADOXICALLY, A NEW KIND OF IGNORANCE. SOME OF WHAT PEOPLE HAVE COLLECTIVELY LEARNED OVER TIME IS STORED IN THE HEADS OF OTHER LIVING PERSONS, WRITTEN DOWN OR RECORDED, ARCHIVED OR PUBLISHED DIGITALLY ONLINE OR OFFLINE, OR SOME COMBINATION OF THESE.

3 B7. MUCH HAS BEEN LOST OR ALTERED. BUT THESE ARE THE EPISTEMIC HORIZONS, INCLUDING THE KNOWN UNKNOWN. THIS RESULTS IN FALLING PREY TO WHAT SLOMAN AND FERNBACH CALL THE ILLUSION OF KNOWLEDGE. THE ILLUSION IS THAT INDIVIDUALLY PEOPLE HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT THEY KNOW MUCH MORE THAN, IN FACT, THEY DO. AS MARK TWAIN SAID: “IT AIN’T WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW THAT GETS YOU INTO TROUBLE. IT’S WHAT YOU KNOW FOR SURE THAT JUST AIN’T SO.”

B8. SLOMAN AND FERNBACH TELL US THAT THE HABIT OF LOOKING UP INFORMATION USING SEARCH ENGINES HAS NOT ONLY BECOME SECOND NATURE BUT RESULTS IN THE OVERESTIMATION OF WHAT PEOPLE BELIEVE THEY REALLY KNOW. NOT ONLY DO SEARCH ENGINES SERVE UP PERSONALIZED RESULTS, NOT ONLY MAY THOSE RESULTS NOT BE ACCURATE, BUT EXECUTING A WEB QUERY DOES NOT YIELD FIRST‐HAND KNOWLEDGE. IT YIELDS INFORMATION, A DISTINCTION THAT EVEN SLOMAN AND FERNBACH CONFLATE AT TIMES:

QUOTE‐02: "THE INTERNET'S KNOWLEDGE IS SO ACCESSIBLE AND SO VAST THAT WE MAY BE FASHIONING A SOCIETY WHERE EVERYONE WITH A SMARTPHONE AND A WI‐FI CONNECTION BECOMES A SELF‐APPOINTED EXPERT IN MULTIPLE DOMAINS."

B9. IN THE 1997 FILM THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, AL PACINO'S CHARACTER ‐‐A LAWYERNAMED JOHN MILTON ‐‐PAINTS A PICTURE OF THE FUTURE FOR HIS PROTEGE, RANTING: "YOU BUILD EGOS THE SIZE OF CATHEDRALS, FIBER OPTICALLY CONNECT THE WORLD TO EVERY EAGER IMPULSE...GREASE EVEN THE DULLEST DREAMS WITH THESE DOLLAR GREEN, GOLD PLATED FANTASIES UNTIL EVERY HUMAN BECOMES AN ASPIRING EMPEROR...BECOMES HIS OWN GOD, AND WHERE CAN YOU GO FROM THERE?"

B10. MOVIE FICTION QUICKLY BECAME THE MAGICAL THINKING OF SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS PLANS IN THE HEADY DAYS ENVELOPING THE DOT‐COM BOOM AND BUST. WITH THE RIGHT DOMAIN NAME, SOME CASH OR ANGEL FUNDING (AND EVENTUALLY A SMARTPHONE), A NEW GENERATION OF DEMI‐GODS WAS BORN. EVERY TECHNOLOGY CONSUMER WAS SOLD NOTHING LESS THAN A SLICE OF GLOBAL AMBITION, THE ABILITY TO BE DISCOVERED NOT BY ANYBODY BUT EVERYBODY WITH ACCESS TO A WEB BROWSER.

THESE INTOXICATING FUMES OF UTOPIANISM WERE THE TOAST OF THE BAY AREA'S VENTURE (AND VULTURE) CAPITAL CORRIDORS. THE VISION STATEMENT FOR WIKIPEDIA: "IMAGINE A WORLD IN WHICH EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE PLANET IS GIVEN FREE ACCESS TO THE SUM OF ALL HUMAN KNOWLEDGE." FOR GOOGLE: "ORGANIZE THE WORLD'S INFORMATION AND MAKE IT UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE AND USEFUL." FOR FACEBOOK: "TO GIVE PEOPLE THE POWER TO BUILD COMMUNITY AND BRING THE WORLD CLOSER TOGETHER."

B11. THESE GRANDIOSE VISIONS ARE STILL VERY MUCH IN VOGUE. YOUTUBE'S 2020 MISSION STATEMENT READS: "OUR MISSION IS TO GIVE EVERYONE A VOICE AND SHOW THEM THE WORLD." MICROSOFT IS STRIVING SIMPLY "TO EMPOWER EVERY PERSON AND EVERY ORGANIZATION ON THE PLANET TO ACHIEVE MORE." APPLE'S CORPORATE GOAL IS RATHER MODEST BY COMPARISON AND GETS A GOLD STAR FOR COMPLYING WITH GUIDELINES FOR MISSION 4 STATEMENTS, LIMITING ITS SCOPE “TO BRING THE BEST PERSONAL COMPUTING PRODUCTS AND SUPPORT...IN OVER 140 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.”

B12. IN HIS 2018 PRIMER TEN ARGUMENTS FOR DELETING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS RIGHT NOW JARON LANIER CONCLUDES HIS CASE WITH A CHAPTER TITLED "SOCIAL MEDIA HATES YOUR SOUL." HE WRITES:

QUOTE‐03: "USUALLY, GOOGLE HAS HAD A WAY OF COMING UP WITH THE CREEPIER STATEMENTS, BUT FACEBOOK HAS PULLED AHEAD: A RECENT REVISION IN ITS STATEMENT OF PURPOSE INCLUDES DIRECTIVES LIKE ASSURING THAT 'EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAS A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND COMMUNITY.' A SINGLE COMPANY IS GOING TO SEE TO IT THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAS A PURPOSE, BECAUSE IT PRESUMES THAT WAS LACKING BEFORE. IF THAT IS NOT A NEW RELIGION, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS."

B13. JUST AS SEARCH ENGINES GIVE A SENSE OF OMNISCIENCE, SOCIAL MEDIA ENCOURAGES USERS TO TAKE EVERYTHING THEY NOW BELIEVE THAT THEY KNOW TO IMPRESS THE WORLD AND BE LOVED FOR IT.

>>> SFX: MAGIC IS ANOTHER WORD FOR IGNORANCE, TECHNOLOGY IS A KIND OF GOD.

B14. SOCIAL MEDIA SEEKS TO SOLVE FOR BOTH SIDES OF THIS EQUATION. IN EXCHANGE FOR THE TACIT CONSENT TO THEIR LENGTHY END USER LICENSE AGREEMENTS AND TERMS OF SERVICE, OMNIPRESENT MAGICAL SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES LEVERAGE NETWORK LOCK‐IN EFFECTS AND ADDICTIVE USER EXPERIENCES TO “BLESS” USERS WITH BEING LIKED, FOLLOWED, CONNECTED, TAGGED, AND SHARED WITH THE WORLD TWENTY‐FOUR SEVEN. IN OTHER WORDS: FREE, CONVENIENT, ALWAYS ON...FAME.

B15. THIS IS SIMPLY AN OLD‐FASHIONED FAUSTIAN BARGAIN WITH KNOWN PERNICIOUS CONSEQUENCES. AS MORE AND MORE INTERACTIONS MOVE INTO THE VIRTUAL SPACES OF THE WEB, FACE TO FACE EXCHANGES ARE TRADED FOR SCREEN‐TO‐SCREEN INTERACTIONS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE REAL TIME ONLINE MEETING ONCE MOST COMMON IN CORPORATE SETINGS BUT BROADLY ADOPTED DURING THE PANDEMIC, TIME SHIFTED INQUIRY REMAINS MORE TYPICAL THAN REAL TIME INQUIRY.

THESE FACTORS COMBINE TO MAKE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN DEMONSTRABLE KNOWLEDGE STORED IN OTHER PEOPLE'S HEADS AND INFORMATION STORED ONLINE LESS AND LESS SELF‐EVIDENT. THE CONVENIENCE OF USING A SEARCH ENGINE OR TAPPING A SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK FOR A RESPONSE TO WHATEVER ONE NEEDS TO “KNOW” WILL BE MORE ALLURING FOR MANY THAN THE EFFORT OF LOCATING INFORMATION THROUGH INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH, CONVERSATION, OR ACTS OF IMAGINATION ‐‐‐ WHICH MAY SEEM TO OFFER FEWER INCENTIVES.

B16. SHERRY TURKLE HAS BEEN TRYING TO TEACH US TO “KNOW BETTER” AND TO KNOW, BETTER. HER WORK AT M.I.T. HAS REVEALED THE SOCIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS 5 THAT ARISE FROM THE TECHNOLOGICAL TRINITY OF SEARCH ENGINES, SMARTPHONES, AND SOCIAL MEDIA. TURKLE SAYS USERS JUST WIND UP PERFORMING FOR EACH OTHER INSTEAD OF BEING AUTHENTIC.IT BECOMES EXHAUSTING, DEPRESSING, AND ALIENATING IN A PARTICULARLY INSIDIOUS WAY THAT MAKES IT SEEM LIKE THE SOLUTION IS MORE, NOT LESS, ENGAGEMENT WITH THE DEVICE.

IN HER 2015 BOOK RECLAIMING CONVERSATION: THE POWER OF TALK IN A DIGITAL AGE, SHE WRITES:

QUOTE‐04: "OUR MOBILE DEVICES SEEM TO GRANT THREE WISHES, AS THOUGH GIFTS FROM A BENEVOLENT GENIE: FIRST, THAT WE WILL ALWAYS BE HEARD; SECOND, THAT WE CAN PUT OUR ATTENTION WHEREVER WE WANT IT TO BE; AND THIRD, THAT WE WILL NEVER BE ALONE. AND THE GRANTING OF THESE THREE WISHES IMPLIES ANOTHER REWARD: THAT WE WILL NEVER HAVE TO BE BORED."

B17. ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE EDWARD TUFTE SEMINAR IN SAN FRANCISCO. THE EMINENT AUTHORITY ON INFORMATION DESIGN IS A CONSUMMATE SHOWMAN. READING HIS BOOKS IS A REVELATION BUT SITTING IN A HALL WITH HIM FOR A HALF‐DAY IS A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE. HE EXPLAINS THE EFFICIENCY OF SPARK CHARTS, TEACHES THE EXCELLENCE OF CHARLES JOSEPH MINARD'S MAP OF NAPOLEON'S DISASTROUS RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN, CRITIQUES NASA REPORTS, AND DONS WHITE GLOVES TO DISPLAY A RARE COPY OF GALILEO'S JOURNAL AROUND THE ROOM.

FOR ALL OF THESE BONA FIDES, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT TUFTE IS STILL MOST RECOGNIZED FOR HIS WELL‐CIRCULATED QUIP:“ONLY TWO INDUSTRIES REFER TO THEIR CUSTOMERS AS 'USERS': COMPUTER DESIGN AND DRUG DEALING." I HEARD TUFTE SAY THIS TO THE ROOM. IT IS OFTEN PARAPHRASED, BUT IT IS NOT APOCRYPHAL. TWENTY YEARS LATER, TECH INSIDERS HAVE BEGUN TELLING US ‐‐‐UNEQUIVOCALLY,LIKE THE LABEL ON A PACK OF CIGARETTES: THE GOAL OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS TO DELIVER A PRODUCT TO ADVERTISERS. THAT PRODUCT IS NOTHING LESS THAN THE PATIENT, CAREFULLY RANDOMIZED, UNCEASING, SILENT MODIFICATION OF "USER" BEHAVIOR.

B18. MARSHALL MCLUHAN'S CELEBRATED INSIGHT ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC AGE WAS: THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE. MCLUHAN FORMULATED THAT THE POTENCY OF EACH NEW GENERATION OF MEDIA IS DERIVED FROM ITS ABILITY TO LEVERAGE THE PRECEDING MEDIUM AS ITS CONTENT. IN 1964 HE MEMORABLY WROTE THAT "THE 'CONTENT' OF A MEDIUM IS LIKE THE JUICY PIECE OF MEAT CARRIED BY THE BURGLAR TO DISTRACT THE WATCHDOG OF THE MIND." [UNQUOTE]

SOCIAL MEDIA IS ABLE TO MODIFY USER BEHAVIOR BY LEVERAGING ITS IMMEDIATE TECHNOLOGICAL ANCESTOR, THE WORLD WIDE WEB, AS ITS CONTENT. WEB SEARCHES, LIKES, DISLIKES, HASHTAGS, CHATS, FOLLOWS, SHARES, MESSAGES, STATUS UPDATES, POSTS, LINKS, INTERESTS, PHOTO SHARING, MUSIC STREAMING, VIDEO STREAMING, E‐COMMERCE, JOB SEARCHES, DOORBELL CAMERAS, NEIGHBORHOOD CHATLISTS, AND META‐DATA ABOUT WHERE AND WHEN ANY OF THESE ACTIONS OCCUR COMBINE TO FORM A DIGITAL DOPPELGANGER THAT CAN BE USED TO INFLUENCE HOW USERS SEETHEMSELVES.AS A RESULT, THE BEHAVIROAL MANIPULATION IS PARTIALLY SELF‐INFLICTED. 6 B19. SEASON TEN OF THE PBS SERIES ART IN THE TWENTY‐FIRST CENTURY (ALSO KNOWN AS ART21) FEATURES THE BLACK MULTI‐SCREEN FILM ARTIST JOHN AKOMFRAH. IN EPISODE ONE, AKOMFRAH SITUATES HIS WORK IN DIALOGUE WITH THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. IN SETTING UP A SEGMENT ABOUT HIS PROJECT DREAD SCOTT, AKOMFRAH COMMENTS: "ONCE YOU'VE UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU ARE A PRODUCT OF THINGS, YOU CAN'T SHAKE OFF REALIZING THAT FROM ACROSS YOUR LIFE."

B20. AN AD AGENCY WEBSITE DEDICATED TO ONLINE MARKETING TO A PARTICULAR DEMOGRAPHIC PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING ADVICE IN 2010:

QUOTE‐05: "TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS REALITIES, I RECOMMEND A COMMUNICATIONS BRIEF ADDRESS THESE FOUR COMPONENTS: AUDIENCE, ATTENTION, ACTION, AND AFFINITY. AUDIENCE EQUALS A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF NOT JUST WHO THEY ARE AND HOW THEY RELATE TO THE CATEGORY AND BRAND BUT WHAT THEY LIKE –CULTURAL INTERESTS, IMPORTANT SOCIAL CAUSES, KEY INFLUENCERS, ACTIVITIES, WHAT THEY THINK IS FUNNY, WHAT THEY WORRY ABOUT. YOU GET THE IDEA. MORE IS BETTER."

THE PARAGRAPH CONCLUDES WITH THESE WORDS, IN ALL CAPS: "LISTENING IS CRITICAL" ‐‐‐ BY WHICH THEY MEAN: SURVEILLANCE IS NECESSARY.

B21. TO SUMMARIZE, USING A CONCEPT FROM GENERAL SEMANTICS, SOCIAL MEDIA BINDS USER BEHAVIOR. SOCIAL MEDIA USERS HAVE BEEN CALLED THE PRODUCT OF SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT THIS IS INCORRECT.THE TERM SOCIAL MEDIA, IT SEEMS TO ME, IS PERVERSELY ACCURATE. THE “SOCIAL” BEHAVIORS ARE THE CONTENT INTERACTIONS, AND THE “MEDIA” IS THE PLATFORM UPON WHICH THOSE INTERACTIONS OCCUR. SOCIAL MEDIA IS POWERED BY CLICKS AND TAPS AND SWIPES AND ALGORITHMS. THE USER IS THE WATERWHEEL POWERING THE MILL, NOT THE FLOUR IT GRINDS.

UNLIKE TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING, THE DELIVERABLE IS NOT MESSAGE PLACEMENT WITH TARGET DEMOGRAPHICS. IT IS THE REFINING OF THE RAW MATERIAL OF USER PERFORMANCE, THE CASUAL ENGAGEMENT WITH AND PROMOTION OF A PRODUCT, A BRAND, AN IDEA, A BELIEF.

B22. SUCCESS IS WHEN USERS BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE MAKING DECISIONS AND ADOPTING ATTITUDES ABOUT THEMSELVES. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED AS MUCH THROUGH SORCERY AS SURVEILLANCE. REGULAR USERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA BECOME, IN A WORD: ENTHRALLED.

THIS PROCESS IS A KIND OF INVERSE PRODUCT PLACEMENT. INSTEAD OF PLACING THE PRODUCT IN THE CONTENT OF A MEDIUM, SUCH AS WHEN THE PROTAGONIST IN AN ACTION MOVIE DRIVES A CERTAIN KIND OF CAR OR DRINKS A CERTAIN BEVERAGE, SOCIAL MEDIA USERS FOLLOW, LIKE, SHARE, OR POST ABOUT THAT CAR, BEVERAGE, OR . . .CONSPIRACY THEORY. THE BRAND IS ACTIVATED BECAUSE ONLINE PEERS ARE MORE INFLUENTIAL, IF NOT EXCITING, THAN MOVIE STARS. BOTH ARE NOW ON A SCREEN: THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE. 7 PRODUCT PLACEMENT ONLY ACTIVATES AN ASPIRATIONAL COGNITIVE FRAME. SOCIAL NETWORKS APPLY DIRECT PEER PRESSURE, ACTIVATING A FRAME OF TRIBALISM, THE USER'S DESIRE TO BELONG AND CONFORM. TO DANCE, TO MARCH TO THE SAME BEAT.

B23. AS THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW CONTINUES, WE WILL LISTEN FOR WHAT PETER GABRIEL CALLED “THE RHYTHM OF THE HEAT.”

C1. SCENE TWO: "FULL OF SOUND AND FURY..."

C2. THE 2010 FILM ABOUT THE ORIGIN STORY OF FACEBOOK, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, HAS A SCREENPLAY CRAFTED BY AARON SORKIN BASED ON A BOOK BY BEN MEZRICH AND DIRECTED BY DAVID FINCHER. THE FILM ENDS WITH A SCENE BETWEEN MARK ZUCKERBERG AND A YOUNG LAWYER NAMED MARYLIN DELPY WHO SPECIALIZES IN VOIR DIRE, OR JURY SELECTION. DELPY EXPLAINS TO THE YOUNG ZUCKERBERG THAT THEY HAVE TO SETTLE A CASE BROUGHT AGAINST HIM TO AVOID A JURY TRIAL BECAUSE SHE IS CONCERNED ABOUT "WHAT A JURY SEES WHEN THEY LOOK AT A DEFENDANT. CLOTHES, HAIR, SPEAKING STYLE, LIKEABILITY..." ZUCKERBERG INCREDULOUSLY SHAKES HIS HEAD AND REPEATS, "LIKEABILITY." THIS IS ONE OF SORKIN'S MOST MASTERFULLY IRONIC MOMENTS.

C3. AFTER A SHORT DEMONSTRATION BY DELPY OF HOW JURORS CAN BE MANIPULATED BY THE FRAMING OF A QUESTION, WE ARE BROUGHT FULL CIRCLE TO THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM IN WHICH ZUCKERBERG HAD SETUP A WEB SITE THAT INVITED PEOPLE TO COMPARE FEMALE STUDENTS TO FARM ANIMALS. ZUCKERBERG SEES HER POINT AND SAYS RUEFULLY: "FARM ANIMALS. I WAS DRUNK AND ANGRY AND STUPID." DELPY ADDS, "AND BLOGGING." LEAVING THE ROOM TO CLOSE OUT THE SCENE, SHE STOPS AND TELLS HIM HE'S NOT SUCH A BAD GUY BUT THAT HE SEEMS TO TRY AWFULLY HARD TO BE ONE.

C4. IN JARON LANIER'S PRIMER, TEN ARGUMENTS FOR DELETING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS RIGHT NOW, HE SPENDS CHAPTER THREE EXPLORING WHY NASTY, PETTY COMPETITION WAS SOMEWHAT INEVITABLE. A SOCIAL NETWORK TYPICALLY GIVES ITS USERS ‐‐‐THOSE BEING USED BY THE TECHNOLOGY ‐‐‐ONE CURRENCY: THE ABILITY TO GIVE AND RECEIVE ATTENTION. THE MORE ATTENTION BEING GENERATED, THE MORE LUCRATIVE THE ENTERPRISE FOR THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM.

C5. I WANT TO SCRUTINIZE THIS CONCEPT OF ATTENTION FOR TWO DIFFERENT REASONS. FIRST, BECAUSE IT IS NOW BEING EXCHANGED AND TRACKED AS A VALUABLE COMMODITY. SECONDLY, I WANT TO THINK CLOSELY ABOUT ATTENTION BECAUSE ONE OF THE CENTRAL PREMISES OF THIS PROGRAM IS THAT LISTENING IS A WAY OF THINKING, AND THINKING IS A WAY OF LISTENING. THIS ONLY HOLDSIN SO FAR AS ONE IS ABLE TO LEND ATTENTION TO THOUGHT AND SOUND. THINKING AND LISTENING DONE WELL ENTAIL A COST IN TERMS OF ATTENTION. 8 THE IDEA OF THE "ATTENTION ECONOMY," A PHRASE ATTRIBUTED TO NOBEL LAUREATE HERBERT A. SIMON, HAS BECOME A HOT TOPIC OF RESEARCH. THE BERKELEY ECONOMIC REVIEW PROVIDES A CONCISE OVERVIEW IN ITS MARCH 2020 ARTICLE "PAYING ATTENTION: THE ATTENTION ECONOMY" IN WHICH THEY EXPLAIN THE IMPLICATIONS OF ATTENTION BEING LEVERAGED AS A SCARCE COMMODITY. THE EDITORS WRITE:

QUOTE‐06: "OUR ATTENTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIMITED, VALUABLE, AND SCARCE. BUT WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE PRESENT DAY IS THAT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES HAVE MADE AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE, STRATEGICALLY AIMED AT CAPTURING OUR ATTENTION. AS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, IT HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER TO GARNER SUCH PERSONAL LEVELS OF ATTENTION TH[R]OUGH MEANS LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA."

C6. THE BERKELEY ECONOMIC REVIEWALSO DISCUSS TWO IMPORTANT MECHANISMS OF THE ATTENTION ECONOMY THAT I THINK CONTRIBUTE TO THE DOWNWARD DISCURSIVE SPIRAL DRIVEN BY SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE. THE FIRST MECHANISM IS THE OPPORTUNITY COST OF BEING DISTRACTED BY FRIVOLOUS REQUESTS FOR ATTENTION. TIME AND ENERGY SPENT SHARING, LIKING, FOLLOWING, COMMENTING, RATING, TAGGING, AND SUBSCRIBING IS ATTENTION NOT PAID TO THINGS THAT MIGHT BE MORE CONSTRUCTIVE.

THE SECOND IS THE PHENOMENON OF ATTENTION INEQUALITY. CELEBRITIES, NEWS NETWORKS, WEALTHY AND INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE HAVE THE RESOURCES AND CONTACTS AT THEIR DISPOSAL TO DIVERT A GREAT DEAL OF ATTENTION FROM OTHERS AND TO THEMSELVES OR THEIR PROJECTS. JUST AS THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER REPORTS A WEALTH GAP CONTINUING TO GROW IN THE UNITED STATES, SO TOO IS THERE AN ATTENTION GAP. I HAVE NOT RESEARCHED THE EXTENT TO WHICH THIS MAY CORRELATE, BUT BOTH MONEY AND ATTENTION SHARE A COMMON COMMODITY: TIME.

C7. JUST AS MARSHALL MCLUHAN OBSERVED, MEDIA TENDS TO EVOLVE BY UTILIZING THE PREVIOUS MEDIUM AS CONTENT. BROADCAST JOURNALISM IS ITSELF, GRADUALLY, BEING SUBSUMED BY SOCIAL MEDIA. THIS PREDICTABLY DIVERTS ATTENTION FROM SMALL BUSINESSES, INDIVIDUALS, AND NON‐PROFITS WHO ARE LEFT FIGHTING FOR SCRAPS OF ATTENTION.

C8. IN GRAVITY AND GRACE, THE FRENCH PHILOSOPHER SIMONE WEIL WROTE: "ATTENTION, TAKEN TO ITS HIGHEST DEGREE, IS THE SAME THING AS PRAYER. IT PRESUPPOSES FAITH AND LOVE."I TAKE HER TO MEAN THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO INTENTIONALLY GIVE SUSTAINED ATTENTION TO SOMETHING IN WHICH ONE HAS LITTLE FAITH OR LOVE.

THIS IS WHY EMPATHY IS OFTEN ASCRIBED AS A CASUALTY OF SOCIAL MEDIA. THE ONLINE INTERACTION IS CAREFULLY CRAFTED TO TRIGGER THE LOWEST DEGREEOFFLEETING, TRANSACTIONAL ATTENTION.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DEVOUTLY ARTICULATED PRAYER, AND AN EMOJI IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ROARING RIVER AND A LEAKING FAUCET.

9 C9. INDEED, ANOTHER REVERED TWENTIETH‐CENTURY FRENCH INTELLECTUAL, JEAN‐PAUL SARTRE, WROTE IN HIS PLAY NO EXIT: "HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE." THIS IS AN OBSERVATION ABOUT THE NATURE OF HELL BEING TIED TO THE INESCAPABLE GAZE OF OTHER PEOPLE, NOT A JUDGMENT ABOUT THEM. THAT BEING SAID, ONEMIGHT PARAPHRASE SARTRE BY CITING THE SAGE ADVICE ABOUT SURFING THE WEB: NEVER READ THE COMMENTS.

C10. APPS ARE NOW MOVING TOWARDS THE PRODUCTION OF EPHEMERAL COMMUNICATIONS THAT (IN THEORY) DISAPPEAR AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME. PERHAPS THIS DESIGN FEATURE IS A SAFETY VALVE, SOCIAL MEDIA AUTOMATICALLY PURGING ITSELF OF THE DISCOURSE IT PRODUCES. THE CONTENT MAY BE FLEETING, BUT YOU CAN BE SURE THE METADATA ASSOCIATED WITH IT WILL BE LONG REMEMBERED BY WHATEVER PLATFORM ENABLED IT.

C11. MEDIA SCHOLAR BOB MCCHESNEY PROVIDES A COMPELLING MODERN HISTORY OF UNITED STATES MEDIA IN HIS 2004 BOOK THE PROBLEM OF THE MEDIA: U.S. COMMUNICATION POLITICS IN THE 21st CENTURY. A CHAPTER ON "MEDIA POLICIES AND MEDIA REFORM" LAYS THE GROUNDWORK FOR ATTENTION INEQUALITY. IT IS A KIND OF AFTEREFFECT OF GOVERNMENT MEDIA POLICIES. "THE COURSE OF THE INTERNET," MCCHESNEY WRITES, "HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH A RANGE OF CRUCIAL POLICY ISSUES" WHICH HE SAYSTEND TO BE UNREPORTED AND UNDEBATED. COMMUNICATION POLICY IS TOO OFTEN DELIBERATELY NOT ITSELF COMMUNICATED.

C12. ATTENTION INEQUALITY IS A "FEATURE" OF THE WEB AND INTERNET DESIRED BY CORPORATE MEDIA. THE POWERFUL NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS HAVE LONG LOBBIED CONGRESS AND THE FCC TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES IN THEIR INTERESTS AND THEY CONTINUE TO DO SO.

THE ONGOING SALVOS AROUND NET NEUTRALITY, A CONCEPT PROMOTING EQUITABLE DATA TRANSFER POLICIES BY INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, HAVE SERVED ONLY TO SLOW, NOT STOP, THE EFFECTS OF ATTENTION INEQUALITY THAT ARE A RESULT OF MEDIA SPECIAL INTERESTS. MCCHESNEY, A VETERAN MEDIA REFORM ADVOCATE, WRITES IN THE PROBLEM OF THE MEDIA:

QUOTE‐07: "THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT ALL THEY NEED IS A WEBSITE AND PROTECTION FROM GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP TO LEAPFROG THE COMMERCIAL MEDIA ARE DREAMING. GOOD JOURNALISM ‐‐‐AND GOOD MEDIA GENERALLY ‐‐‐REQUIRES MONEY AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT. . .TO BE EFFECTIVE."

C13. I SEE THIS ISSUE AS COMPLEMENTARY TO THE PROBLEM OF NETWORK EFFECTS THAT COMPEL CONSUMERS TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA BECAUSE MANY OR MOST OF THEIR FAMILY AND PEERS ARE DOING SO. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE. RATHER THAN EXERCISING AUTONOMY, USERS DEFAULT TO WHAT HAS BECOME SHORT‐HANDED AS "FOMO": FEAR OF MISSING OUT. FOMO IS ALSO DRIVEN TO SOME DEGREE BY THE ABILITY OF CORPORATE MEDIA TO LEVERAGE THEIR ALLOTTED SPECTRUM TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE CREATING A NETWORK‐INDUCED NETWORK EFFECT.

10 TWITTER HANDLES NOW APPEAR BENEATH THE NAMES OF TELEVISION NEWS REPORTERS ON SOME NETWORKS. HEADLINERS AND REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS ANCHOR THEIR OWN PODCASTS, WHICH IN A COUP OF ATTENTION MONOPOLIZATION, ARE PROMOTED ON AIR PRESUMABLY AT NO COST TO THEM. WHAT WAS ONCE A "SHAMELESS PLUG" HAS BEEN NORMALIZED AND IS NOW JUST A SYMBIOTIC PRIVILEGE. INCREASINGLY, THEIR PODCAST IS A PRIMARY FOCUS AND THEIR APPEARANCE ON A BROADCAST IS A SIDE GIG. MUST BE NICE!

C14. SOCIAL MEDIA THRIVES ON GIVING ITS USERS A SENSE THAT THE PROMISE OF THE INTERNET HAS BEEN FULFILLED BY LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD WITH BIG MEDIA, LETTING EVERYONE SHARE THE SAME TURF AS CELEBRITIES AND CORPORATE MEDIA ‐‐‐FOR FREE! THIS HAS HAD THE EFFECT OF DISCOURAGING INVESTMENT IN QUALITY JOURNALISM.

THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY (AND DIGITAL NATIVE NEWSROOMS, TOO) HAVE HIT HARD TIMES. ADVERTISING DOLLARS HAVE MOVED INTO SEARCH APPLIANCES AND ACCORDING TO 2020 PEW RESEARCH ABOUT ONE IN FIVE AMERICANS CONSUME THEIR POLITICAL NEWS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, EVEN AS THEY INCREASINGLY QUESTION ITS VERACITY.

THE MAJOR NEWSPAPERS THAT ARE STILL ABLE TO THRIVE OF COURSE USE THEIR COFFERS OF ATTENTION TO LEVERAGE THEIR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA PROPERTIES AND PODCASTS.

C15. EVEN AN EFFORT IN 2018 TO LIBERATE NEWSROOMS USING THE MAGIC OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND A CRYPTOCURRENCY CALLED "CIVIL" SUFFERED AN EPIC FAIL. I PARTICIPATED IN THAT EFFORT. IT WAS A COOL IDEA AND IT JUST INCINERATED ITSELF ON THE LAUNCH PAD. CIVIL NEVER CLEARED THE TOWER BECAUSE OF TERRIBLE EXECUTION AND INSUFFICIENT INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT. MCCHESNEY WAS RIGHT.

C16. THE PLAYING FIELD HAS NOT BEEN LEVELED. IT HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A GLADIATORIAL ARENA. NEWS IS TRIVIALIZED, DILUTED, OR CONCOCTED FROM WHOLE CLOTH TO BE USED AS BAIT BY TROLLS, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. AND WHILE ALL THESE CONNECTIONS ARE MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE, SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS ARE SILENTLY NOTING EVERY TWITCH. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED, TO A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE, THROUGH APP TRACKING.

C17. APPLE CORPORATION HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW APP TRACKING TRANSPARENCY FEATURE FOR THE IOS MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEM THAT WILL ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO DECLINE APP TRACKING. SIMILAR FEATURES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN RECENT YEARS BY VARIOUS WEB BROWSERS. BUILDING THE FEATURE INTO THE IOS USED BY IPHONES (AND IPADS) IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE A NEW LEVEL OF PUSHBACK AGAINST WHAT APPLE EXECUTIVES HAVE CALLED THE "DATA INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX." SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT CRAIG FEDERIGHI SAYS APPLE WANTS TO KNOW AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AND DESCRIBES THE USE OF APP TRACKING BY OTHER CORPORATIONS, SUCH AS FACEBOOK, DARKLY:

QUOTE‐08: "THEY GATHER, SELL, AND HOARD AS MUCH OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AS THEY CAN. THE RESULT IS A DATA‐INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, WHERE SHADOWY ACTORS WORK TO INFILTRATE THE MOST INTIMATE PARTS OF YOUR LIFE AND EXPLOIT WHATEVER THEY CAN FIND —WHETHER TO 11 SELL YOU SOMETHING, TO RADICALIZE YOUR VIEWS, OR WORSE." THE DEGREE TO WHICH FACEBOOK AND THE ADTECH INDUSTRY ARE PROTESTING SUGGESTS THE CONCERN IS JUSTIFIED.

C18. AT THE SAME TIME, ADTECH AND SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVES FIND THEMSELVES RECEIVING A GREAT DEAL OF SCRUTINY FROM CONGRESS. IN THE CONTEXT OF INCREASINGLY HYPER‐PARTISAN ELECTIONS, EVIDENCE OF INDIRECT ELECTION TAMPERING THROUGH VOTER MANIPULATION ACCOMPLISHED BY EXPLOITING SOCIAL MEDIA HAS RAISED THE IRE OF MANY.CONCERNS ABOUT THE CASUAL RELATIONSHIP OF BIG TECH TO A PROVISION OF THE 1996 U.S. COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT HAVE BEEN CITED AS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. IT IS NOT CLEAR THIS IS THE ANSWER.

C19. SECTION 230 IS A POLICY THAT PROVIDES PROTECTIONS TO A WIDE RANGE OF ONLINE PLATFORMS FROM BEING THE TARGETS OF LITIGATION FOR CONTENT POSTED TO THEIR SITES BY THIRD PARTIES. IT HAS RECENTLY BEEN UNHELPFULLY CONFLATED WITH TWO OTHER AREAS THAT GET PEOPLE AGITATED. THE FIRST IS THE IDEA THAT SECTION 230 REQUIRES POLITICAL NEUTRALITY. IT DOES NOT. SOME ARE UPSET THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS MODERATING CONTENT TOO STRINGENTLY, OTHERS THAT IT IS NOT MODERATING ENOUGH.

A SECOND AREA OF CONFUSION ARISES FROM THE FAILURE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PROBLEM OF CORPORATE PERSONHOOD. CORPORATIONS ENJOY FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS THAT ALLOW THEM TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH POLICIES REGARDING CONTENT MODERATION EVEN AS THEY ARE PROTECTED FROM LITIGATION FOR CONTENT POSTED BY THIRD PARTIES THAT ALSO ENJOY FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS.

C20. SECTION 230 COULD BE BETTER CLARIFIED AND PERHAPS IMPROVED BUT REMOVING IT WOULD LIKELY NOT BE CONSTRUCTIVE. I AGREE WITH THE INSIGHTS OF A RECENT DISCUSSION ON SLATE.COMPUBLISHED UNDER THE HEADLINE "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE WITH SECTION 230?"MARY ANNE FRANKS, A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW, EXPLAINS HOW A LITTLE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE MIXED WITH A LOT OF FEELINGS ARE DANGEROUS:

QUOTE‐09: "PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY NOT ONLY HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK, BUT THAT THIS IS AN AFFIRMATIVE RIGHT THAT MUST BE HONORED EVERYWHERE. BUT THAT ISN’T WHAT THE FIRST AMENDMENT DOES—IT PROVIDES A NEGATIVE RIGHT, AND ONLY AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. . . .SO: PEOPLE TAKE THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN’T PUNISH YOU FOR SPEECH, AND THEY ASSUME THAT THIS RULE APPLIES TO NON‐GOVERNMENT ACTORS AND MEANS THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO PARTICULAR PLATFORMS OF SPEECH. AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS—THEIR TWEET DOESN’T GO VIRAL, OR IT GETS FACT‐CHECKED, OR THEIR VIDEO GETS REMOVED—AND THEY FEEL THAT THEIR FREE SPEECH HAS BEEN VIOLATED."

C21.SINCE SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT, USERS DO NOT IN FACT ENJOY FREE SPEECH PROTECTIONS BEYOND WHAT ARE OFFERED IN THE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT AND TERMS OF SERVICE TO WHICH THEY HAVE BLINDLY AGREED.

12 JUST AS PSEUDO‐SCIENCE IS ILL‐CONCEIVED SCIENCE, SO TOO IS PSEUDO‐LAW ‐‐‐CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM LEGAL PERCEPTIONS VERSUS THE FACT OF LAW ‐‐‐ILL‐CONCEIVED LAW. BOTH PSEUDO‐SCIENCE AND PSEUDO‐LAW ARE TYPES OF MISINFORMATION. THE HABIT OF SPREADING MISINFORMATION HAS QUICKLY METASTASIZED INTO SOMETHING EVEN MORE PROBLEMATIC: A WILLINGNESS TO DELIBERATELY PROMOTE MISINFORMATION AS REAL INFORMATION AND TO DISCREDIT REAL INFORMATION AS FAKE NEWS.

C22. IN AN OPINION COLUMN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST IN DECEMBER 2020, FAREED ZAKARIA ECHOES OTHERS WHEN HE POINTS OUT THAT WHEN MISINFORMATION IS DISSEMINATED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AS A COORDINATED EFFORT, IT IS NOT A TECHNOLOGICAL EXPLOIT BUT A PSYCHOLOGICAL ONE...WHAT ZAKARIA CALLS A "MIND HACK."

I THINK OF THIS AS THE INVERSE OF A WELL‐CRAFTED BOOK OR MOVIE OR SONG IN WHICH THE EXPERIENCE ALLOWS US TO SUSPEND OUR DISBELIEF. SOCIAL MEDIA IS JUST REAL ENOUGH THAT USERS MAY ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BELIEVE ANYTHING THAT HAS RECEIVED ENOUGH ATTENTION. IT PLAYS THE TENDENCY OF CONFIRMATION BIAS ON THE PART OF USERS TO ACTIVATE THEIR BELIEF IN SOMETHING THEY MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE BE INCLINED TO BELIEVE. ZAKARIA WRITES:

QUOTE‐10: "WITTINGLY OR UNWITTINGLY, TRUMP USES THE RUSSIAN MODEL, WHICH RESTS ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT PEOPLE GET CONVINCED WHEN THEY HEAR THE SAME MESSAGE MANY TIMES FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES, NO MATTER HOW BIASED. HE ADDS TO THIS AN INTUITIVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS. IF YOU MAKE A CLAIM THAT IS TRULY OUTRAGEOUS, IT WILL ATTRACT ATTENTION AND EYEBALLS, SPREAD FAR AND WIDE, AND ENSURE THAT PEOPLE HEAR IT REPEATEDLY —AND OVER TIME BEGIN TO BELIEVE IT. A BORING TRUTH DIES ON TWITTER, WHILE A SENSATIONAL LIE GOES VIRAL AND (MOST DISTURBINGLY) OVER TIME BECOMES A HALF‐TRUTH."

C23. ONE OF THE WAYS MISINFORMATION AND REAL INFORMATION ‐‐‐TAGGED AS FAKE NEWS ‐‐‐SPREADS SO QUICKLY IS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES BENEFIT MORE, NOT LESS, WHEN A LOT OF ATTENTION IS GENERATED BY DISCOURSE THAT IS CONTROVERSIAL. YES, THEY EMPLOY LEGIONS OF MODERATORS. SOME HAVE REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AS A RESULT OF HAVING TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME INTERACTING WITH HATE SPEECH, PORNOGRAPHY, AND OTHER TOXIC CONTENT PROHIBITED ON THE PLATFORM.

PRAGMATICALLY, THIS IS NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN A LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR OF CIVILITY THAT THEY DON'T START TO HEMORRHAGE USERS, WHICH WOULD AFFECT THEIR CLIENTS AND SUBSEQUENTLY THEIR PROFITS. THIS EFFORT AT MODERATION SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH ANYTHING BEYOND THE CONTROLLED ENGINEERING OF INCREASED ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN USERS.

THE WORLD IS BETTER WHEN IT IS CONNECTED, RIGHT?

C24. REUTERS NEWS AGENCY REPORTS THAT ON NOVEMBER 5, 2020, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR STEVE BANNON POSTED A VIDEO TO FACEBOOK IN WHICH HE SAID THAT THE HEADS OF 13 FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER REY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT ANTHONY FAUCI SHOULD HAVE THEIR HEADS PLACED ON PIKES IN FRONT OF THE WHITE HOUSE "AS A WARNING TO FEDERAL BUREAUCRATS." THE VIDEO WAS REMOVED BY FACEBOOK, BUT BANNON'S ACCOUNT WAS ALLOWED TO REMAIN ACTIVE. I DO NOT KNOW IF DIRECTOR REY OR DR. FAUCI HAVE AVAILED THEMSELVES OF THE RESOURCES ON THE FACEBOOK "BULLYING PREVENTION HUB."

C25. TWITTER BANNED BANNON FOR THESE SAME COMMENTS, BUT WHEN ASKED WHY FACEBOOK HAD NOT IN AN ALL‐STAFF MEETING IN NOVEMBER 2020, MARK ZUCKERBERG SAID BANNON HAD COME CLOSE BUT "CLEARLY HAD NOT CROSSED THE LINE" TOMERIT BEING BANNED FROM FACEBOOK. I THINK MR. ZUCKERBERG FELT THAT MR. BANNON WAS STILL USEFUL IN HELPING HIS THOUSANDS OF ONLINE FRIENDS TO FIND A SENSE OF PURPOSE.

C26. ON JANUARY 6, 2021, AN HISTORIC, VIOLENT INSURRECTION TEMPORARILY ROCKED THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL FOLLOWINGA RALLY AT THE WHITE HOUSE ELIPSE THAT INCLUDED INFLAMMATORY CALLS TO ACTION BY DONALD TRUMP, JR., RUDY GIULIANI, AND THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF. THEY INCITED A CROWD OF THOUSANDS TO DISRUPT THE CONGRESSIONAL CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.

IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING, IT SEEMS BIG TECH FINALLY CONCEDED THAT A LINE HAD BEEN CROSSED. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WAS PERMANENTLY BANNED OR SUPSENDED FROM MULTIPLE PLATFORMS, A GROWING LIST OF CORPORATIONS BEGAN DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM HIS BRAND, AND TRUMP BECAME THE FIRST AND ONLY PRESIDENT (THUS FAR) IN UNITED STATES HISTORY TO BE TWICE IMPEACHED.

AMONG HIS OTHER AUTOCRATIC CLAIMS TO FAME WAS THE FASCISTIC AND OFT‐REPEATED REFRAIN THAT THE MEDIA ARE THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, EVEN AS THE SAID SAME MEDIA OPTED‐IN TO ENABLING HIS ADDICTION TO GOVERNING‐BY‐TWEET.

C27. I KNOW: MUCH HAS BEEN SAID AND MADE OF TRUMP'S TWITTER USAGE. SO HERE IS SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT THAT I THINK IS A MORE INTERESTING AND PERHAPS REVEALING LINE OF INQUIRY. WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM TWITTER'S USAGE OF USER @REALDONALDTRUMP? HOW WAS HIS STATE OF MIND AFFECTED OVER TIME? DID HIS BEHAVIOR BECOME LESS OR MORE ERRATIC? WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY COST FOR A NATION IF THE HEAD OF STATE IS UNDER THE THRALL OF SOCIAL MEDIA? WHO IS CONJURING WHOM?

TRUMP, HIS APOLOGISTS, HIS DONORS SEEM TO BE ENTANGLED IN A POLITICAL NIHILISM THAT HAS EMERGED FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE AMERICAN ID. GRIEVANCE THRIVES IN THE ATTENTION ECONOMY.

C28. PHILIP BUMP'S JANUARY 7, 2021, ARTICLE IN THE WASHINGTON POST, "THE CAPITOL MOB RECORDED ITS OWN HISTORY" BEGINS: "THE REVOLUTION WASN'T JUST TELEVISED, IT WAS LIVE‐STREAMED." IT WAS HARD NOT TO NOTICE THAT ALMOST TO A PERSON, THE THUGS WHO DESECRATED THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL WERE WIELDING NOT JUST IMPLEMENTS OF VIOLENCE, DERISION AND DESTRUCTION BUT, OF COURSE, CAMERAS AND SMARTPHONES. THEY ARE AS OBSESSED WITH SELF‐DOCUMENTING THEIR MAYHEM AS CAUSING IT, DESPERATE TO CLAIM THEIR 14 SHARE OF THE ATTENTION ECONOMY.

C29. THE TRUMP FAITHFUL SUMMONED FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ‐‐‐LARGELY VIA SOCIAL NETWORKS ‐‐‐TO ENACT THE DERANGED “MARCH TO SAVE AMERICA” WAS A PELL MELL LAST DITCH POLITICAL STUNT TO REALIZE WHAT HAS NOW BEEN SHORTHANDED AS THE BIG LIE, THE REPUDIATED CLAIM THAT THE 2020 ELECTION IN THE UNITED STATES WAS MANIPULATED.

IN ADDITION TO THE UNHINGED MAYHEM RESULTING IN WHAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A “NEAR‐DEATH EXPERIENCE” FOR AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY, THE MARCH ALSO SERVED TO DISTRACT FROM ANOTHER TRAGEDY: THE FOUR THOUSAND AMERICANS WHO WOULD DIE THAT DAY FROM THE COVID‐19 PANDEMIC RAGING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. TO A LARGE DEGREE THE MARCH WAS “SUCCESSFUL” IN THAT REGARD. THE HIGH DRAMA ON CAPITOL HILL, LIKE CLICK BAIT, WAS MORE ENGAGING THAN THE BORING TRUTH OF THE PANDEMIC. THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE. THE PRESIDENT WENT BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND WATCHED HIS INSURRECTION ON TELEVISION. BREAKING NEWS. BROKEN NEWS. #ALLTHEBESTPEOPLE

C30. ROGER MCNAMEE WRITING FOR WIREDMAGAZINE ON JANUARY 7, 2021 UNDER THE HEADLINE "PLATFORMS MUST PAY FOR THEIR ROLE IN THE INSURRECTION" SAYS POINT BLANK:

QUOTE‐11: "PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ENABLERS IN GOVERNMENT AND RIGHT‐WING MEDIA WILL SHOULDER THE BLAME FOR WEDNESDAY’S INSURRECTION AT THE US CAPITOL, BUT INTERNET PLATFORMS—FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, AND TWITTER, IN PARTICULAR—HAVE PLAYED A FOMENTING AND FACILITATING ROLE THAT NO ONE SHOULD OVERLOOK.

IN THEIR RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF ENGAGEMENT AND PROFITS, THESE PLATFORMS CREATED ALGORITHMS THAT AMPLIFY HATE SPEECH, DISINFORMATION, AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES . . . THESE PLATFORMS ALSO ENFORCE THEIR TERMS OF SERVICE IN WAYS THAT FAVOR EXTREME SPEECH AND BEHAVIOR, PREDOMINANTLY RIGHT‐WING EXTREMISM."

C31. MCNAMEE ALSO REPORTS THAT FACEBOOK'S OWNRESEARCH SHOWS 64 PERCENT OF THE TIME A USER JOINS AN EXTREMIST FACEBOOK GROUP THEY DO SO BASED ON A RECOMMENDATION FROM A FACEBOOK ALGORITHM.

AND THIS IS THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA: “IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS,” AS STEPHEN HAWKING ONCE SAID. ALTERNATIVES HAVE BEEN BUILT AND LAUNCHED. THEY SUFFER A SIMILAR FATE TO UNDERFUNDED NON‐PROFIT MEDIA EFFORTS UNABLE TO SUCCEED, OR THRIVE, AS A RESULT OF NETWORK LOCK‐IN EFFECTS BY COMPETITORS, AND SOMETIMES COMPLICATED BY THE INABILITY TO OFFER A PRODUCT THAT IS READY FOR PRIME TIME. SO, THE VIABLE PLATFORMS ARE THE COMMERCIAL OPTIONS EXQUISITELY DESIGNED TO MANIPULATEUSERS.

C32. IN 2018, THE NEW YORKER PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE BY ANDREW MARANTZ TITLED "REDDIT AND THE STRUGGLE TO DETOXIFY THE INTERNET." MARANTZ WROTE: "SOCIAL‐MEDIA EXECUTIVES CLAIM TO TRANSCEND SUBJECTIVITY, AND THEY HAVE DESIGNED 15 THEIR PLATFORMS TO BE FEEDBACK MACHINES, GIVING US NOT WHAT WE CLAIM TO WANT, NOR WHAT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR US, BUT WHAT WE ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION TO."

C33. THIS CONCEPT OF A FEEDBACK MACHINE IS ONE OFTEN HEARD IN THE DISCOURSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. AND WHEN UNPACKED, IT IS A DESCRIPTION SO PERFECT THAT IT BELIES THE WAY IT IS OFFERED. FEEDBACK HAS MULTIPLE CONNOTATIONS THAT ALL COME CRASHING TOGETHER IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE. FEEDBACK IS, GENERICALLY, ANY KIND OF RESPONSE TO AN INPUT. FEEDBACK IS THE RESULT RETURNED FROM AN AUTOMATED PROCESS. FEEDBACK IS ALSO A FORM OF NOISE, GENERATED WHEN A RESULTING AUDIO SIGNAL IS REDIRECTED AS INPUT TO CREATE AN AMPLIFIED LOOP THAT CAN BE CONTROLLED, OR IF LEFT UNCHECKED, IT CAN DEAFEN.

REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAS DESCRIBING A FEEDBACK MACHINE WHEN HE OFFERED THE FORMULA THAT "VIOLENCE BEGETS VIOLENCE."

C34. SOCIAL MEDIA ‐‐‐BE IT FORUM, SEARCH, VIDEO, E‐COMMERCE, OR NETWORKING ‐‐‐TAKES USER ACTIVITY AS INPUT FOR MACHINE LEARNING PROCESSES TO AMPLIFY USER ATTENTION. CRUCIALLY, IT ALSO MODIFIES ITS OWN ALGORITHMS. THE SOCIAL MEDIA "FEEDBACK MACHINE" IS ENCHANTED IN THE SENSE THAT IT NOT ONLY WATCHES AND LISTENS, BUT BASED ON WHAT IT SEES AND HEARS, IT REACTS MORE INTENTIONALLY OVER TIME MODIFYING BOTH USER BEHAVIOR AND ITS OWN.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE. EVERY INTERACTION HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR ALL USERS. INVERSELY, THE COLLECTIVE ACTIVITY OF THE WHOLE SOCIAL NETWORK IS BROUGHT TO BEAR ON INDIVIDUAL USERS.

>>> SFX: "MAGIC IS A KIND OF IGNORANCE. TECHNOLOGY IS A KIND OF GOD."

C35. AND YET: BOOK CLUBS, SMALL BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS, CAR DEALERSHIPS, BROADCASTERS, MUSICIANS, MAGAZINES, CHURCHES, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, HOBBYISTS, POLITICIANS, BILLIONS OF INDIVIDUALS . . . CONTINUE TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA, ENTHRALLED BY ITS CONVENIENCE AND MAGICAL ABILITIES TO HELP THEM CONNECT WITH OTHERS.

C36. WHY? BECAUSE MOST SOCIAL MEDIA USERS CONCLUDE THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN THE ATTENTION ECONOMY EXCEEDS THE TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP. THEY BELIEVE, CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY, THAT THE RISK OF ADVERSE BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION IS LOW COMPARED TO THE CONVENIENCE. THEY DON’T HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH E‐MAIL ADDRESSES. THEY DON’T HAVE TO MAKE HTML WORK. THEY JUST WRITE, LINK, SHARE, OR SEND. THE REST IS . . . MAGIC AND KIND OF FUN. LOOK AT THE CUTE ANIMAL. LEARN WHAT AN OXFORD COMMA IS. HEAR “THE TRUTH” ABOUT JEWISH SPACE LASERS.

THINK OF SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS AS A VARIATION OF THE SECOND‐HAND SMOKE PROBLEM. A SOCIAL MEDIA USER DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A SMOKER TO EXPERIENCE THE TOXIC SIDE EFFECTS, THEY JUST HAS TO HAVE ONE SMOKER IN THEIR NETWORK. IF THAT ONE SMOKER IS SOMEONE CONNECTED TO A HUGE CLUSTER OF CONSPIRACY THEORISTS ‐‐‐THEN THE USER IS 16 STANDING JUST OUTSIDE A SMOKE‐FILLED ROOM. THEY PUT UP WITH WHIFF AFTER WHIFF OF SMOKE BECAUSE THEY OPT, FOR WHATEVER REASON, NOT TO EXCLUDE THAT ONE SMOKER FROM THEIR NETWORK. ONCE ENOUGH USERS ARRIVE AT THE SAME CONCLUSION, CANCER RATES SOAR.

C37. THE PROBLEM REMAINS THE GENIE. REMEMBER: USERS ONLY GET THREE WISHES AND THEY ARE ALWAYS THE SAME:THAT THEY WILL ALWAYS BE HEARD (RECEIVING ATTENTION), THAT THEY CAN FOCUS ON WHATEVER THEY WANT (GIVING ATTENTION), AND THAT THEY WILL NEVER BE ALONE OR BORED (ATTENTION IS VALUABLE).

C38. SOCIAL MEDIA USERS OUTSOURCE THEIR ATTENTION TO AN OPAQUE APPARATUS THAT POWERS THE ATTENTION ECONOMY. BILLIONS OF ATTENTION MICRO‐PAYMENTS GO IN, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS COME OUT, SUBJECTIVITY IS MIRACULOUSLY TRANSCENDED, AND A REVOLUTION ‐‐‐AN INSURRECTION ‐‐‐GOES VIRAL.

THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW CONTINUES.

D1. SCENE 3. "...SIGNIFYING NOTHING."

D2. IN LATE SUMMER AND FALL OF 2020, FILMMAKER JEFF ORLOWSKI'S FILM THE SOCIAL DILEMMABEGAN STREAMING ON NETFLIX AFTER ITS PREMIERE AT THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL IN JANUARY. THE FILM IS A HYBRID VIEWING EXPERIENCE, INTERLACING INTERVIEWS WITH TECH INSIDERS INTO AN UNFOLDING NARRATIVE THAT FOLLOWS A FAMILY TRYING TO CONTROL THE INFLUENCE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY ON THEIR LIFE TOGETHER.

THIS DOCUDRAMA HAS FLAWS, BUT ALSO SOME PROFOUND INSIGHTS. I WATCHED THE FILM INITIALLY WITH AN EYE (AND EAR) FOR MAGICAL AND RELIGIOUS REFERENCES THAT I MIGHT USE TO SHOW HOW CLARKE'S THIRD LAW IS STILL AT WORK TODAY AND, INDEED, I FOUND NUMEROUS REFERENCES TO SPELLS, MAGIC, GENIES, MANIPULATION, AND DECEIT. ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS. ONE OF THE EXPERTS EVEN DEMONSTRATES A BIT OF SLIGHT OF HAND.

D3. THE FILM HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR TAKING THINGS OUT OF CONTEXT AND OTHER CINEMATIC MISDEMEANORS. BUT TWO ASPECTS OFTHE SOCIAL DILEMMAARE CONSTRUCTIVELY PROVOCATIVE AND WELL EXECUTED. THE FIRST IS ANIMAGINATIVE PORTRAYAL OF THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS. VIEWERS ARE TRANSPORTED AT RECURRING POINTS IN THE FILM INTO A CONTROL ROOM. HERE THREE ENGINEERS ARE SHOWN SURVEILLING USER ACTIONS AND MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT WAYS THEY CAN MANIPULATE THE USER WHO IS REPRESENTED AS A HOLOGRAM.

THESE SCENES HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED ON THE BASIS THAT ANTHROPOMORPHIZING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS CONSIDERED A NO‐NO. (I GUESS THE PRODUCERS OF STAR TREK AND OTHER SCI‐FI FRANCHISES MISSED THIS MEMO?) CONCEDING THAT, THESE SCENES STILL WORKFOR ME, BECAUSE THE MORE COMPELLING ASPECT OF THEM IS THAT AS THE ENGINEERS COME TO KNOW THE USER MORE INTIMATELY, THE HOLOGRAM BECOMES MORE DETAILED. I DON'T THINK IT IS OFF LIMITS TO ANTHROPOMORPHIZE THE USER FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE AI!

17 D4. A SECOND ASPECT OF THIS FILM I APPRECIATE IS A NARRATIVE STRATEGY IN THE STORY LINE OF THE FAMILY DRAMA THAT MAKES A SUBTLE METAPHORICAL ADJUSTMENT. THE MAIN DRAMA FOR THE FAMILY IS THE ONLINE POLITICAL RADICALIZATION OF THE SON. THE FAMILY MEMBER WHO IS MOST ATTENTIVE TO HIS ONLINE ACTIVITIES IS THE OLDER DAUGHTER WHO WORKS TO TRY AND OPEN HIS EYES TO WHAT IS HAPPENING.

IN THIS WAY A FAMILIAR ORWELLIAN NOTION (TECHNOLOGICALLY ENHANCED STATE CONTROL IDENTIFIED AS “BIG BROTHER”) IS SUBVERTED. BY HAVING HER "LITTLE" BROTHER BEING THE FAMILY MEMBER MOST ENSNARED BY HIS SMARTPHONE AND SOCIAL MEDIA, IT BECOMES "BIG SISTER" WHO IS SERVING AS A BENEVOLENT FORCE IN TRYING TO MONITOR AND CONTROL HIS ACTIVITIES.

D5. THE SOCIAL DILEMMA WE FACE IS NOT JUST SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT THE SAME ONE FACED BY EVERY GENERATION: HOW TO RESPONSIBLY AND EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY INTO CULTURE, WHETHER IT IS THE PRINTING PRESS, THE TELEPHONE, THE TELEVISION, OR TIKTOK. THE CHALLENGE FOR US, HOWEVER, IS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT.

THE PRINTING PRESS, TELEPHONE, AND TELEVISION HELD ONLY THE POTENTIAL TO EMPOWER US, BOTH FOR GOOD AND FOR ILL. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, POWERED BY MACHINE LEARNING, POWERED LARGELY BY SOCIAL MEDIA USING PEOPLE TO GENERATE ATTENTION HAS THE POTENTIAL NOT ONLY TO EMPOWER BUT TO OVERPOWER US.

D6. LET'S COMPARE AND CONTRAST.NEIL POSTMAN TITLED HIS 1985 CRITIQUE OF TELEVISION CULTUREAMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH: PUBLIC DISCOURSE IN THE AGE OF SHOW BUSINESS. IN A CHAPTER TITLED "SHUFFLE OFF TO BETHLEHEM" POSTMAN DEMARCATES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENCHANTMENT AND ENTERTAINMENT. RELIGION, ACCORDING TO POSTMAN, SEEKS TO ENCHANT THROUGH RITUALS THAT ARE ENRICHED WITH TRADITION AND MEANING. ENTERTAINMENT SEEKS TO DAZZLE AND DISTRACT. POSTMAN WRITES, "THE DISTINCTION IS CRITICAL. BY ENDOWING THINGS WITH MAGIC, ENCHANTMENT IS THE MEANS THROUGH WHICH WE MAY GAIN ACCESS TO SACREDNESS. ENTERTAINMENT IS THE MEANS THROUGH WHICH WE DISTANCE OURSELVES FROM IT."

THIS SHOULD SOUND FAMILIAR. AS I DISCUSSED EARLIER, SIMONE WEIL SAID PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING IN THE EARLY PART OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. WYNTON MARSALIS SPEAKS IN SIMILAR TERMS WHEN HE ATTRIBUTES THE CHILL VIBE OF THE MILES DAVIS ALBUM THE BIRTH OF THE COOL TO ITS “SUSTAINED INTENSITY.”

D7. TRISTAN HARRIS, CO‐FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER FOR HUMANE TECHNOLOGY, IS FEATURED PROMINENTLY IN THE SOCIAL DILEMMADOCUMENTARY. THE FILM INCLUDES AN EXCERPT FROM A PRESENTATION IN WHICH HARRIS SHOWS A GRAPH AND TALKS ABOUT THE ANTICIPATION FOR WHEN TECHNOLOGY MIGHT EXCEED HUMAN STRENGTHS. THE CAMERA PANS ACROSS THE FACES IN HIS AUDIENCE AS HE IMPLIES THATDISCUSSION IS SOMEWHAT MOOT. WHY? BECAUSE NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS ALREADY CROSSED A DIFFERENT THRESHOLD: THE ONE WHEN TECHNOLOGY SURPASSES HUMAN WEAKNESSES.

TO LEARN MORE, A PODCAST PRODUCED BY THE CENTER FOR HUMANE TECHNOLOGY IS 18 CALLED "YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION."

D8. THE DISCOURSE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HAS LONG BEEN INFUSED WITH A KIND OF UTOPIANISM THAT SUBLIMATES POSTMAN'S DICHOTOMY BETWEEN ENCHANTMENT AND ENTERTAINMENT INTO A MASHUP OFNEW AGE PHILOSOPHY, MIXTAPE AND HACKER COUNTER‐CULTURES.

THE RELEASE OF THE SOURCE CODE FOR THE INTIAL LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM IN 1991 IS ONE MILESTONE OF THE MOVEMENT FOLLOWED BY THE ARRIVAL OF WIREDMAGAZINE IN 1993.

D9. IN 1998 A BOOK TITLED TECHGNOSIS: MYTH, MAGIC + MYSTICISM IN THE AGE OF INFORMATIONBY ERIK DAVIS (ERIK WITH A K) WAS PUBLISHED. ONE CHAPTER IS TITLED "A MOST ENCHANTING MACHINE" AND CREDITS STEWART BRAND WITH COINING THE PHRASE "PERSONAL COMPUTER" IN A 1972 ESQUIREMAGAZINE ARTICLE. HE SAYS BRAND WAS FASCINATED WITH THE MACHINES BECAUSE THEY WERE PART OF A SYSTEMS ZEITGEIST IN THE 1970S. THE CHAPTER GOES ON TO DISCUSS EXOTIC TOPICS LIKE "CYBERNETIC ECOLOGY", "SOCIAL IMAGINEERING", AND "TECHNOPAGANS."

ONE YEAR LATER, IN 1999, ERIC RAYMOND (ERIC WITH A C) PUBLISHED A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS HE’D BEEN POSTING ONLINE IN THE NINTIES TITLED THE CATHEDRAL & THE BAZAAR: MUSINGS ON LINUX AND OPEN SOURCE BY AN ACCIDENTAL REVOLUTIONARY.RAYMOND OFFERS THE CONCEPT OF "REPUTATION" IN THE OPEN‐SOURCE SOFTWARE COMMUNITY AS A CRUCIAL ASPECT OF ITS "GIFT CULTURE.” A NASCENT ATTENTION ECONOMY WAS AT WORK EVEN THEN.

D10. MUSINGS AND REVOLUTION OFTEN GO HAND IN HAND. A “TECHGNOSTIC” IMPULSE DOES SEEM TO SPARK INNOVATION, FROM ALCHEMY TO EMACS. IT SEEMS TO ME PART OF THE SPELL CAST BY NEW TECHNOLOGIES IS THAT THEY ALTER, OR UPDATE, HOW USERS EXPERIENCE CAUSE AND EFFECT, OR HOW THEY MAY SEEM TO OPERATE INVISIBLY. BOTH OF THESE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF DESCRIBING AUTOMATION AND, SUBSEQUENTLY, VIRTUALIZATION. NEXT THING WE KNOW, THEY’RE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. THE MAGIC IS GONE. (IN THE NEW POSTMODERN TELEVISION OFFERING FROM MARVEL CALLED WANDAVISIONONE OF THE CHARACTERS PONDERS WHERE TO PUT A STAMP ON THE NEW‐FANGLED E‐MAIL.)

THE INTERNET ALLOWED FOR A NEW KIND OF COMMUNICATION AT A DISTANCE. THE WORLD WIDE WEB MADE THAT EXPERIENCE MORE RICH BY MAKING IT MORE INTERACTIVE AND VISUALLY INTERESTING. WIFI MAKES THE WEB AVAILABLE WITH FEWER CABLES. BLUETOOTH ALLOWS DEVICES TO INTERACT WITH LITTLE OR NO HUMAN INTERVENTION AT ALL. CLOUD COMPUTING ENABLES THE STORAGE, AUTOMATION, ANALYSIS, AND GENERATION OF DATA REMOTELY AND AUTONOMOUSLY.

D11. TO THIS END, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS REMOTENESS AND INVISIBILITY SEDUCTIVELY ALLOWS FOR US TO START THINKING OF TECHNOLOGY AS AN EXTENSION OF OUR ENVIRONMENT. JUST AS THIS HAS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM IN MAKING CLIMATE CHANGE SEEM LIKE 19 AN IMMEDIATE THREAT, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN SO GRADUAL AND IMMERSIVE, SO TOO THE UBIQUITY OF SMART PHONES, WIFI, AND BLUETOOTH MAKE THE CASUAL USE OF APPS AND SOCIAL MEDIA SEEM "NATURAL."

D12. ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG NEWS, MICROSOFT CEO SATYA NADELLA REPORTS BUSINESSES ARE "GENERATING DATA FASTER THAN WE ARE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IT.” MANY COMPANIES DO NOT CONSIDER THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF DATA STORED IN THEIR ENTERPRISE DATA WAREHOUSES AS BUSINESS ASSETS.THIS IS BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH DATA, THEY CANNOT REFINE IT INTO MEANINGFUL, ACTIONABLE INFORMATION FAST ENOUGH. NADELLA OFFERED THIS CONFESSION BY WAY OF ANNOUNCING NEW CLOUD‐BASED ANALYTICS OFFERINGS.

IT SEEMS DATA IS ITSELF A KIND OF FEEDBACK MACHINE. MORE DATA GENERATES MORE DATA: MORE THAN "WE" CAN UNDERSTAND. WE ARE NOT MEANT TO.THE DATA IS MEANT TO UNDERSTAND US. MACHINE LEARNING POWERS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DRAINING US, DROP BY DROP, OF OURAUTONOMY. THE VAMPIRES CONTINUE TO FEED.

D13. DANIEL S. LEVY REPORTS IN A PUBLICATION FROM THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY TITLED SECRETS OF THE SUPERNATURAL THAT THE MYTH OF HUMAN VAMPIRES WAS BORN OF THE 16TH‐CENTURY PLAGUE. IN 2009, NEAR VENICE, LEVY TELLS OF THE FIRST TIME "ARCHAEOLOGY SUCCEEDED IN RECONSTRUCTING THE RITUAL EXORCISM OF A VAMPIRE." A FEMALE PLAGUE VICTIM WAS BELIEVED TO BE A VAMPIRE BECAUSE SMACKING NOISES WERE HEARD COMING FROM HER GRAVE. THESE NOISES WERE BELIEVED TO CORRELATE WITH A SPIKE IN CASES OF THE PLAGUE. THE RITUAL EXORCISM WAS ACTUALLY A SIMPLE, PRACTICAL MEASURE: THEY DROVE A BRICK THROUGH THE JAW OF HER CORPSE, TAKING HER OFFLINE.

CLOSING MATERIALS AND END CREDITS

EC1. I HAVE USED AS SCAFFOLDING FOR THIS CHAPTERTHE OFT‐QUOTED WORDS OF MACBETH IN SHAKESPEARE'S SCOTTISH PLAY. AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS WIFE, HE SAYS: "LIFE'S BUT A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT, FULL OF SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING NOTHING." THESE WORDS ARE FOLLOWED BY AN EVENT ON STAGE. "ENTER A MESSENGER" TO WHOM MACBETH SAYS "THOU COMEST TO USE THY TONGUE; THY STORY QUICKLY." THE MESSENGER REPORTS, "GRACIOUS MY LORD, I SHOULD REPORT THAT WHICH I SAY I SAW, BUT KNOW NOT HOW TO DO IT."

EC2. WHEN I WENT TO CONSULT THE TEXT, I SMILED REALIZING WHAT A PERFECT METAPHOR THIS STAGE DIRECTIVE, "ENTER A MESSENGER" WAS FOR MY TOPIC. WITH EVERY NOTIFICATION OF A SMARTPHONE ONE EXPERIENCES THE ENTRANCE OF A MESSENGER.

AS I CONTEMPLATE HOW THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW ‐‐‐THESE SONGS OF EXPERIENCE ‐‐‐ARE COMPOSED, I TOO FEEL THAT I SHOULD REPORT THAT WHICH I SAY I HAVE HEARD. RATHER THAN SAYING I KNOW NOT HOW TO DO IT I WILL CONCLUDE BY SAYING: THIS IS HOW I HAVE HEARD IT. I HOPE YOU FIND THAT YOUR ATTENTION HAS BEEN WELL SPENT IN THIS HOUR UPON THE STAGE.

20 EC3. PLEASE JOIN ME AGAIN FOR CHAPTER EIGHT OF THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW: A SOJOURN IN SOUND, IN WHICH I WILL PRESENT MORE ORIGINAL MUSIC FROM MY WORK IN PROGRESS, THE DISQUIETING. THE NEXT MOVEMENT TAKES THE FORM OF AN APOLOGY TO THE MOUNTAIN TIBETANS CALL CHOMOLUNGA.

EC4. UNTIL THEN, I INVITE YOU TO CHECKOUT THE PLAYLIST OF NOW ON SPOTIFY, A COMPANION TO THE THEMES OF THIS CHAPTER FEATURING MUSIC FROM: LAURIE ANDERSON, GIL SCOTT‐HERON, MARK SNOW, ROGER WATERS, METALLICA, ANNIE LENOX, MASON BATES WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, AND OTHERS. IT IS A RIGHTEOUSMIX.

EC5. THIS CHAPTER OF THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOWFEATURES WORK SHARED THROUGH THE CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSING FRAMEWORK SOURCED FROM THE FREE MUSIC ARCHIVE AND BANDCAMP. MY THANKS TO: KIMIKO ISHIZAKA, MYSTERY MAMMAL, TO ERIS, SCHEMAWOUND, REVOLUTION VOID, BROKE FOR FREE, LEE ROSEVERE, JAHZZAR, AND ERIC SKIFF.

INTERSTITAL ELEMENTS, INCLUDING AN EDIT OF HER SONG “NO YA” FROM THE COLLECTION 2020, WERE PRODUCED IN COLLABORATION WITH AND PERMISSION FROM DR. JENN KIRBY. THE CLOSING GROOVE YOU HEAR IN THE BACKGROUND IS BY PUBLIC SYMPHONY, LICENSED FOR USE COURTESY OF RUMBLEFISH.

EC6. CHAPTER SEVEN WAS WRITTEN, PRODUCED, AND HOSTED BY YOURS TRULY. ANY MISTAKES, INACCURACIES, OR EDITORIAL SHORTCOMINGS ‐‐‐IN CONTENT OR PRODUCTION ‐‐‐ARE ENTIRELY MINE. I’M CHRISTINE BUSH. ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND THE PATREON COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS THE PRODUCTION OF THIS PROGRAM, THE SOUNDTRACK OF NOW CONTINUES. KEEP LISTENING.

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