As I have just finished Amusing Ourselves to Death, the author, Neil Postman, asks many questions at the end, including what are the forms of information and what do conceptions, from the information, of "intelligence, wisdom and learning" insist upon? I believe information takes on many forms, some destructive and tyrannical, and some in interesting and useful ways. This may include anywhere from propaganda used to manipulate society based on misleading people about facts, to informing people about new discoveries in science and how to use them.
However, not all information may insist upon intelligence, wisdom, and learning, because a lot of information out there may be useless and does not apply to many people. There is also loads of useful, intelligent, wise, and educational information. There are scientific breakthroughs, literary tools, and others that help better the people in the society. All of these types of information should be taken with caution though, because it may get into the wrong hands, and destruction, manipulation, and many other negative effects may come about. People must consider the information given, and learn about it so that it cannot be used against them, for I believe that with all the information now, people tend to look at it and think, "oh that's interesting," but then never give it a second thought, but I believe all information that calls for intelligent thought should be closely examined, or at least examined more than just a quick glance.
-Leo Roth
I would have to disagree with your main point. There really is no such thing as useless information, only information that we do not use on a day to day basis. For example, some may think that knowing all about cars is useless information, however if you are a mechanic, that info would not only be useful, but a requirement. Another example would be what Han Solo said at a specific time stamp in the original Star Wars film. It may seem like useless information to some, but yo other it could be the difference between them or their friend buying dinner during a debate. Today the internet is filled with information of all shapes and sorts and we are forced to shift through it to discover what is real and what is not.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I do agree with your last few statements. Most people see information on the internet and think "cool" and then that is the last time they ever reference that memory, or they see something and then spread it like wildfire. However, nine and a half times out of ten, thy do not do research and end up spreading false information. All new information that we hear and see should be examined and verified to actually be true before we believe it and share the info with others. To not do that would be a disservice to yourself and others.
I would also have to agree with your point Jeremy. Select people will find select information more useful that others. There could be information somewhere that almost no one could care about, but if no one cared about it, then it wouldn't have been posted. At least one person cared about that topic, because if they didn't then the research and effort wouldn't have been put into it.
DeleteI agree with your point Jeremy. There is no such thing as useless information. To us it might be useless but to others it is useful. I've seen or been told information that sounds interesting but it does not work. We have to research the information before spreading it.
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