How the Internet is Taking Away Your Power to Choose

Eli Pariser

Shortly on 22C+ I will be writing a review of Eli Pariser's book The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from You. It's a book that should be read by anyone who is interested in the future of the internet and information in general. The book begins with the revelation that in 2008 Google changed its search engine to make it more personalised. It is now true that two people doing the same web search will not necessarily get the same results, because the software "knows" your web history, tailors the results, and feeds back to you the information it 'thinks' you want. In recent times Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo and many other major internet organsiations have followed suit. The result is that you are now being fed a less diversified diet of information when you surf the net. The real (at least on the net) is beginning to look like a circle of ever-diminishing size. This is not what the internet was supposed to be! We should all be concerned because there are 'choices' being made which effect what we "perceive" in the world, and they are not being made by us. They are increasingly made by machines, and those machines are owned and operated by gargantuan internet corporations - run by a 26 year old in the case of FaceBook.

My review will appear here in a day or two. In the meantime, here is an excellent TED talk by Pariser which outlines his essential arguments.

Marcus

Rage against the system: The Wayseer

 Rebels need causes: but what lies beneath the act of rebellion?

Here's something I found through a contact on Facebook (ah, social media!). It's worth watching for the pure raw energy if nothing else. It's also worth watching because it is a good example of the mixture of some apparently noble intentions with a less noble agenda, albeit a subtle and unconscious one.

As I look at the consciousness behind the video, there are a few issues which emerge. There is an intention towards power and control, an elevation of the ego into grandiosity. The message is "I'm the one".

The biggest giveaway is the shot of Tiger Woods. Sexual addiction, we are told, is a misunderstanding, or (apparently) an attempt to repress my worthy desires! Unfortunately not all desire is an expression of a noble higher impulse. Much desire, especially lustful and addictive desire, points to deeper psychological and spiritual issues within.

The video suggests that the frontal cortex of the brain is a fascist dictator. In fact the frontal cortex and the left hemisphere of the brain are vitally important. It is true that they can impede access to transcendent wisdom and information, but the left brain is required to discipline the sometimes chaotic and destructive urges of the mind. 

The obvious energy of the video is that of angry youth, the rebel. The rebel energy, his deep-seated rage at repression and denial of his desires, can be very useful if harnessed correctly. For example the youth of Hong Kong (where I live) are in dire need of accessing the rebel energy, as restriction via the system is a prime feature of the wonderful but deeply manipulated youth here. The key is to be able to express the anger creatively in a way that taps into the inherent wisdom of the universe. Anger can be transmuted into love, if the individual knows how to channel it correctly.

Nonetheless, the rebel energy can be destructive if it is allowed to get out of control. It can turn dark if the ego takes over, and the lust for power and control overrides the wisdom and compassion of spirit. The ego can quickly become inflated. My sense is that this latter kind of energy underpins the Wayseer video.

All of the unfoldings of life and action in this world reflect a legitimate expression of spirit. However as part of the creative process, we individuals need to be aware of the consciousness which lies behind actions, and behind words. We need to align with consciousness fields where "light" draws us forward on our journey. There are consciousness fields that can suck us down into a "darker" place, however.

As you watch the video you might note that anger  is being channeled against the system. There is a very real enemy, and they want to stop us because we are a threat. It's us versus them. This is basically calling for a fight.

There is a subtle distinction which has to be noted when for anger to be expressed legitimately and with responsibility. It is better to strive for a positive outcome which is not yet extant, than to fight against a perceived extant negative. One action is the energy of creation, the other the energy of destruction. Since all intentions bring forward equivalent consciousness fields, negative intentions are likely to result in violence and destruction, while creative intentions are more likely to bring about peaceful and joyful futures.

Take a look at the video yourself. See what you think. With any information produced by human bings, it is possible to tap into the consciousness field, the intention, which lies behind that information. 

You might also check out http://wayseermanifesto.com/

The Cool Machine

 Soho at night

The Wan Chai district of Hong Kong is perhaps most famous as being the sleaze capital of the HK expat world, a hodgepodge of kabab shops, pubs and girly bars. There are also plenty of good, “clean” bars and restaurants there to make it a good night out with friends.  So it was that last night I made my way to a certain pub, walked in and sat down at the bar. On a small stage there was a talented Philippina band playing classics of western rock and pop, and I listed in appreciation as I waited for my friends. I was really enjoying the music, when a local Hong Kong man, perhaps my age, sat down beside me at the bar. He ordered a drink and then did what so many men do here in Hong Kong as soon as they sit anywhere. Those familiar with Hong Kong can probably work out what it was.

He pulled out a fancy i-phone-like device and became completely absorbed in it, ignoring everything around him. As far as I can recall, he did not look up once from the device in the 20 minutes or so I sat beside him. Then my friends arrived, and we moved away to a table nearby. We chatted over a drink for 30 minutes or so, then made a decision to move on. As I left I looked over and saw the same local chap at the bar. He was still there, completely absorbed in his device. I seriously doubt that he had listened to even one song the band had played, and he had certainly not talked to anyone.

One of my friends had been told about a certain groovy place across the way, and so it was that I found myself being whisked away by taxi to a quaint little jazz bar in the Soho area of Hong Kong. Soho is cool. Situated just a kilometer or so from the towering high-rises of Central, Soho is very hip and very, very hilly; its short, narrow streets are crammed together below old low-rise buildings. It’s a wonderful and workable mixture of the old Hong Kong and the new. The tiny streets are chock full of restaurants and bars. At night the clientele is mainly twenty and thirty-something expats and local Chinese Hong Kongers.

The street I was taken to was no place for cars – far too steep for that. Instead we climbed some very steep steps, and, after a little confusion, finally made our way down a dimly lit alley.

And there it was: the jazz bar.