In Other Words

Stepping backwards, from second to first.

I do miss having daily free access to the Internet. When I was in Singapore I used to spend at least two hours a day catching up on what was happening around the world. Over here I barely find time to read the newspaper (partially because the local newspapers are absolutely terrible). I miss that.

I just spent some time exploring some of my former preferred pages. Including Slate magazine and the Economist and it was nice to find out what has changed over the last four months in the world (a lot and nothing, for those of you that are interested).

The thing that struck me most, however, wasn't the news articles and the stories out there, but their method of delivery. Or rather, what struck me was how many people still did not regularly use and read what is out there. I imagine more then ninety percent has little to no idea about information revolution that is taking place right under their noses and just down the road. These people have no clue or understanding as to what is happening and why.

When I skim the surface of the Internet, as I have done today (it takes a hell of a lot of time to delve deeper) I have an opportunity to follow what ever link or string of information that I find interesting, thereby expanding my knowledge by accessing blogs, specialised sites and more within minutes off each other, without doing anything more then clicking a mouse and hitting a few keys.

For those literate in Internet (It pretty much is becoming a language, isn't it?) there is such a wealth of information (that does have to be separated from the dross, I realise) that to the Internet illiterate must almost seem mystic.

I notice it so much more over here then I did in Singapore. In Singapore anybody that was under thirty and had even the slightest ambition was Int Lit. Over here it is only the very few and far between that really use the Internet.

It is that, in a way, that makes this place one of the most backwards First World Cities in the world that I have ever been to. There is an information revolution going on and these people here are about as aware of it and interested in it as a starving child in Africa is aware and interested in the satellites that zoom over his head.

It suddenly becomes a whole lot easier to understand why people like Bush can be reelected. It's not because people are stupid, or don't want to listen, but rather because so many millions are not even aware that there is more to hear, or where to hear it.

posted by Symbol @ 13.4.05