I can has cheezburger? I no does geddit. But that doesn't matter. There are apparently millions
who do and millions more to be made from them. One person's frivolous waste of time is another's
creative engagement.
So bring 'em on: the devotees and
the furries;
the intelligent designers and
designing intelligence;
the "other" side and
this one(?);
the think or thwimmers" and
the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Voices that have long been silenced are shouting to be heard and all that's
necessary for connection is a computer and internet service. Oh, and there's the small issue of electricity,
taken for granted by all in the blogosphere but that's a link for a different post.
Still, though I'm delighted to be privy to the clamour, the snob in me sneers.
How did they find each other before the internet?
And, could I just get an expert, please.
The anti-credentialist in me
doesn't believe in experts but there are just times when I'd like to be informed by research culled by people who have made a
particular issue their life's work. Michael Pollan's one but even better regarding the Farm Bill is
the American Farmland Trust.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I suppose the first expert on "experts" that comes to mind is Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Blink and Staff Writer at New Yorker.
In this article He's quick to point out the possibility of bias in executive decision-making. Perhaps this is a good way to support the strength-in-numbers value of collaborative filtering and decision-making?
Strength in numbers brought us those creepy Italian and German leaders just prior to WWII and did nothing to stop Dubya from stealing the 2000 election.
Not sure about Gladwell's position as the first expert on experts but he also concedes that part of the solution might be to "fix" the "expert". And he focuses mostly on visual bias in his article when there are far more insidious types.
I can't help thinking about one of Katherine's comments in our last class: lots of non-profit web sites have content written by committee which results in some of the most bland, drab, inoffensive prose possible.
Post a Comment