Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Information fluidity and trust?

Information zips around the globe and it can be hard to process all the implications. But found myself watching a documentary about a troubling subject, and it was like, so someone can take a picture, share with someone else, and later find it go, well just about anywhere. But before the web would have been unthinkable I think for as many to even contemplate, with a physical photograph.

But why really?

And it's not so much the anonymity aspect either as typically if photos get shared or stolen people can figure out how that went. So what was it?

Lots of information can flow rapidly so in our times it pays to think carefully about what might be shared why. And it is good to be imaginative, but how imaginative can you be really? Or are so many people guinea pigs where others find out from their travails?

And where are governments? Seem way behind I think. Barely beginning to grapple themselves with reality of how information flows in the modern age, even when it bites them! Like with disclosure of secret information.

Which should be noted has had benefits with whistleblowers outing government abuses which I think trace back to small-minded individuals with positions of trust they've betrayed.

And that IS a huge part of it, isn't it? Betrayal of trust.

We're living in an age when trust is becoming more visible. Yes it has always been important but betrayal was less so often public. Today a person gets mad at an ex and it can end up making international headlines no matter who they are. Where that would have only been possible in the past with high status individuals or people connected to some in some way.

Today information flows so readily that just about any person can have some which in a certain context can interest a world, for good reasons, very bad ones, or simply embarrassing ones. Or for reasons hard to fathom.

Our world doesn't feel the need to explain itself to me, now does it?

There are no gatekeepers to decide that story is not news. As it can be so readily available that people can pick it up and yes, make it go viral.

So trust has become so upfront. And that to me is a good thing to take from all of it.

Your life I think will be very much defined by who you trust, which has always been true. But now also trust is what the web studies very closely.


James Harris

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