Cable TV is often seen only as another entry
to our home for downloading classical programs as well as
pornography and superstition. The full utilization of the
electronic avenue as a multi-lane, bi-directional highway
through which we can be receivers of what we want to accept, and
senders of visual messages to whomever is interested and willing
to interact with these messages, is still more a goal than a
reality. With computer- supported visual communication
integrating digital television, we will dispose of the entire
infrastructure for a visually dominated civilization. In the age
of Internet, wired or wireless networks become part of the
artificial nervous system of advanced societies. Whether in its
modem-based variant, or through other advanced schemes for
transporting digital information and supporting interaction, the
cable system already contributes to the transformation of the
nature of many human practical experiences. These can be
experiences of entertainment, but also of learning, teaching,
even work.
There is a negative side to all this development, and a need to
face consequences that over time can accumulate beyond what we
already know and understand. Children growing up with TV miss
the experience of movement. Jaron Lanier discussed the "famous
childhood zombiehood," an expression of staring into nothing, a
limited ability to see beyond a television image, the desire for
instant gratification, and a lack of basic common sense
appreciation for doing work in order to achieve satisfaction.
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