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December 20, 2007
Questions as I enter Decade Number Three, Part I
The past few nights have been filled with dreams questions. They began with slight flickers of images that increased in intensity until my brain was filled shards and slivers of the distant and recent past. As the week folded forward aural mingled with visual and debates emerged. I’ve risen in the morning filled to the brim with questions- and perhaps one might even define them as inspiration- so much so that I can barely concentrate on anything else.
I’ll hold off on the details until January, as it’s my assumption that most of this little blog world is already on vacation, either physically or mentally. I will, however, pose one simple (or not so simple) inquiry, as callalillie is officially on hiatus until January 7th or thereabouts, and in lieu of official New Year’s resolutions, I’ve chosen to create a series of questions that I would like to answer in 2008. This is one of them. I’ll post the full list tomorrow.
Question #1
The documentation of our changing physical environment has increased so exponentially and the photographs, video, thoughts and debates are readily available to an audience wider than ever before. In your personal experience, does this enhanced accessibility change how you think about your environment?
[For example, fifty years ago you might have walked by an old building and wondered about it, however unless you had a lot of time and energy, you might not have been able to find a lot of information about its past. Today, you might walk by a similarly old and intriguing structure, wonder, then go home and Google it or search a keyword on a site like Flickr- and discover more visual and textual documentation than you ever dreamt of obtaining. What does this mean for you, if anything at all?]
Posted by callalillie at December 20, 2007 10:00 AM | Found History , History , I Love Buildings , Inquiry
Simply put, I find that the instant and constant access to information has moved from helpful and entertaining to overwhelming and intrusive. I long for quiet and peace. Too much information is stressful and anxiety-provoking. TV and print news are two prime examples of "nothing but bad news" media.
It's become my habit to avoid TV and radio and most of the internet unless I'm specifically searching for something. I have four blogs I read, and the Wall Street Journal.
I make a consciencious effort to control or block what comes to me, leaving me to be the one to make the effort if I choose. Otherwise, I'm in quiet mode.
Posted by: Gena at December 20, 2007 2:55 PM
I love being able to research things fast, but I do wonder about the change in the gap between having a question (e.g., what is that old building?) and an answer to it. There's almost no gap anymore, as you suggest, and I kind of miss it, that hungering for an answer and the various additional questions it sometimes prompted.
These days I find that I'm way more excited if I Google a place I'm curious about and come up dry. The intrigue!
Posted by: E at January 4, 2008 2:41 PM
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