WEEK SIX

 WEEK SIX POST

Crook (2012) got me thinking. More and more, we see the concept of "digital native" coming up. While I still have a serious gripe with the WHAT of social media, I can see, better now, the value of the HOW of social media. I must admit that I loved to engage Destiny and the ACA on X and YouTube. I did learn a lot. However, these examples seem outliers to a data population devoted to lunacy and debauchery. But, if one seeks to find value in the new order, one can see that immersion is a good thing. 

As we immerse ourselves in social media and all the concurrent advertisements for the new sawdust hamburger, garbage clothes, plastic food, etc. product that promises to fill your anxiety (it won`t), we at least have the potential to change our ontology to augmented beings living in an interconnected reality. Hail the Matrix. 

I also enjoyed seeing the plastic fruit you are all eating (I live abroad. Haha). I recall the social media posts that exposed China (sorry if it is not inclusive) for doing the same ages ago. While social media connects the two instances, and globalization brings it to you, I wonder, since it was known to be in China, why has no one noticed the issue until now? 

Were you scrolling? Perhaps, the ontology that social media is infecting is not of an augmented being, but augmented ignorance and passivity. 

• Crook, C. (2012). The 'digital native' in context: Tensions associated with importing Web 2.0 practices into the school settingLinks to an external site.. Oxford Review of Education, 38(1), 63-80. doi:10.1080/03054985.2011.577946

BLOG MAKEOVER

 Challenge Accepted

Yes. My blog was ugly. Por guy looked like this: 

Now, bro looks like this: 

Incredible what some fillers and a new haircut will do. 

I changed the background to the main color, added a home picture, and enabled the most viewed widget, and added links. I do not see Blogger as a very user-friendly platform, and I am not too keen on the general look. I would love suggestions for better platforms. 

My future Self changed his address.

    The Ship of Theseus is a philosophical paradox that explores the nature of identity and change. It asks whether a ship with all its components replaced remains fundamentally the same. The thought experiment begins with Theseus' ship being gradually repaired by replacing each wooden part with a new one. Once all the original parts have been replaced, a question arises: is the ship still the same ship Theseus sailed? Furthermore, if the old parts are reassembled into a new ship, which of the two is the true Ship of Theseus? This paradox delves into questions of identity, continuity, and the criteria that define an object's essence, challenging our understanding of what it means for something to remain the same over time.

I love the idea of sending a letter to my future self. I would love to encourage him and let him know he can do it. However, IS he my FUTURE self? 

Can you step on the same river twice? The point of life is to grow in mind. After enough discrete differentiation, qualitative differences will occur. In that manner, the future qualitatively different selves may not represent the current ones. 

It is an accomplishment to get to a future point in life and, despite hardships and mistakes, to not want to change anything because that would have changed who you are. I love the idea, but it is folly if you assume you will grow, as you should. 

WEEK FIVE REFLECTION: MERLOT and SOCIAL MEDIA

                   

I found this module interesting. Merlot was amazing. I found courses and, most importantly, assessment materials on different subjects. I loved the neuroscience and the history sections. Between these OERs are such great finds that enhance acessibility and enrich education. The part about social media and intellectual attributions was relevant. I recalled a funny social media (Instagram and YouTube) fight between two creators over a song. 

One perspective is that, even after removing the plagiarized song, Peyton Parrish is still successful. He built his social media fame with unattributed songs and only took them down after he had millions of followers who did not care about the more minor creator Peyton plagiarized. The attribution would have been meaningless as he did change the song. 

It seems that social media is a place designed to provide content only measured by the demand of the audience. 

New Vulgar Acropolis: Social Media in the Classroom

 

The idea of bringing social media into the classroom is interesting. On the one hand, if in a physical synchronous setting, social media would not be too useful as discussions can be done in person. In a synchronous and/or remote setting, this would be more interesting. Social media can be used to expand classroom discussions and fodder practice opportunities. In my experience with the literature on pedagogy, communities of practice that focus on social constructivism are optimal for learning. Especially nuanced and skill-heavy endeavors. 

I had a teacher in my freshman year use social media to our advantage. It was a philosophy class that met three times per week for 45 minutes. However, I remember spending hours per day engaged on the blog. We would have lengthy discussions. People would suggest videos and articles. We had some grievous wars between the liberals and conservatives (under different banners). It surely made the class memorable and helped me recall, apply, analyze, and synthesize information much better. I will never forget it. 

Intellectual Honesty

In the digital age, protecting intellectual property is challenging, especially on platforms like YouTube, where original content is often reposted without permission or proper credit. Creators frequently struggle with stolen content impacting their revenue and brand reputation, and the process of reporting these violations can be slow and cumbersome. One such fight has been very entertaining. Miracle of Sound is a musician who sings Viking songs that he wrote. One of his significant songs, Valhalla Calling, was initially sung with his former friend Payton Parrish. 

VALHALLA CALLING by Miracle Of Sound ft. Peyton Parrish - OFFICIAL VIDEO (youtube.com)

As the song grew in popularity, Parrish made his own version. Which became more famous than the original. Then, he was seen as the author who resurrected a Viking chant. All not true. In his video, Perrish does not attribute Miracle of Sound in any way. As of today, I cannot find his video. 

I am ambivalent about it. On the one hand, Perrish made the song MUCH better, and his video is incomparable. On the other hand, if I created something, I would like to be attributed. Especially when this has income implications. 

However, it seems like silly pride. Even creators and artists who will never make a penny with their creations want their contribution. This is especially rampant in academia, where most of the value is fictitious anyway. 

IS there an original thought? I must have missed Plato attributing Pythagoras. I surely missed Pythagoras attributing the Egyptians. I surely have heard the Christians and Hellenistic Jews denying the Greeks. But the chain of transmission is undeniable. 

Nothing is new under the sun. Unless what you created is groundbreaking, when all will know your name anyway, get over yourself. There is a major difference between Kant and the TikTok bikini dancer or the social "scientist." 

The Paragon of the New Age

                   REFLECTION: WEEK 4

Very interesting week. The theme is the egregore that emerges from collectivity and inclusion of opinions. We tend to fill our flaws and lacks with the presence and opinion of others. We can use this for our advantage in crowdsourcing or incur the consequences of it in context collapse. Like all in life, balance and wisdom are in order. I witnessed this process while researching the Atheist Experience. The community and its leaders crowdsource ideas in their open-mic show and use them as teachable moments for the community. However, many report the context collapse when they are "outed" as an atheist at work or school. The reliance on external fodder and validation bothers me. As social creatures, we may not transcend this, but the old values of community, real ones, and formal study have produced the greatest geniuses so far. What did we get from social media? Trump? 

I`d Rather Burn

 

Context collapse and crowdsourcing are different sides of the same coming. They both arise from the apotheosis of the collective. The expansion of the collective human intellect is seen in crowdsourcing. In this paradigm, the entire population has access to a problem where they can construct an emergent solution to challenging problems. That way, any lack or issues can be resolved by spreading information and filling holes with one another. This works as sources like YouTube and Wikipedia are often correct and useful. Context collapse, however, is when different contexts are enmeshed into one. Suddenly, we lack privacy because of this conversion, and our bosses can see what we tell our mothers. 

That is the price of inclusion and collectivity. In this paradigm, the restrictions to defining and contextualizing are blurred in the name of convenience. Somehow, Plato and Kant did not have to crowdsource their ideas. Would people even have understood it? 

The opinion of the masses is a logical fallacy. The myth of the discovered genius who finds the unsolvable problem and miraculously resolves it will never happen. New perspectives may initially bring clarity but are biased by culture. In a positivist paradigm, crowdsourcing is anathema. Let us all remember the brightness of the crowdsourced witch hunts because everybody knows the Bible is true....

This is Fine: From Heaven into Hell

The difference between the pictures in this post shows all we need to know about the intellectual quality of our society. The quality of art is the greatest indicator of moral and intellectual health. But hey, the kids are just having fun with the social media. It DOES have some uses. "This is fine." 

What is Mematics?

Mematics, simply put, is the study of memes and how they spread, evolve, and influence culture. A meme is a unit of cultural information that spreads from person to person, often through imitation. They can be images, videos, phrases, or any piece of media that carries a particular idea or trend.

Imagine a picture of a dog sitting in a room engulfed in flames, with a calm expression and the caption, "This is fine." This meme, known as "This Is Fine," perfectly captures the human tendency to remain unbothered or in denial in chaotic situations. It’s funny because it’s relatable; we've all had moments where we pretended everything was okay when it clearly wasn't.

Memes and Human Cognition

Memes tap into our cognitive processes in fascinating ways. They rely on shared understanding and cultural references, making them potent tools for communication. Here’s how they connect to human cognition:

1. Pattern Recognition: Our brains love patterns and predictability. Memes often follow familiar formats, making them easy to recognize and replicate.

2. Emotional Resonance: Memes often evoke strong emotions—humor, nostalgia, or even frustration. This emotional impact makes them more memorable and likely to be shared.

3. Social Bonding: Sharing memes creates a sense of belonging and community. When you share a meme, you're not just sharing a joke; you're saying, "I get this, and I think you will too."

The Impact of Memes

Memes are more than just funny pictures or catchy phrases; they’re a powerful reflection of our collective consciousness. They evolve with our culture, providing insight into societal trends and behaviors. In a way, studying memes through memetics can help us understand human psychology and communication in the digital age.

Further from that, it seems there are not just ways of explaining why sunglasses are associated with "cool" and how every fratboy needs a backward hat (besides having garbage hair). This is the mental manifestation of the same universal dogma that drives evolution. For instance, other fratboys see Chad as a backward hat. He gets with the Tridelt. Now, all other Pikes want to be Chad to have the same success. So, they emulate him with the hat. The meme that survives natural selection is the one that is able to reproduce. 

Perhaps, memes are more of a sign of banality than archetypal truth. Somehow, the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa never became a meme...but burning dogs do. The sway memes hold may be a sign of a culture that values the more animalistic expressions of humanity rather than its more exclusive anthropogeny. That would not get views on TikTok. 

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” Will you hear his call?

                                  WEEK REFLECTION: I Heard the Call of the Old One

This week, I thought about the dream that never will be. The idea of the internet and social media is such a seductive concept that it can be enshrined by Zeus with the constellations. Sharing knowledge, experiences, and your very well with those worldwide is fascinating. The platonic idea here is to create a collective emergence of knowledge unbound by time, geography, social conditions, credentials, etc. 

Social media is to be the Bitcoin of the intellect. However, a chain is as strong as its weakest link. Looking for inspiration and discussion, I found an overwhelming majority of vitriol, stupidity, and prattle. It was very difficult to not get sucked into debating lunatics on Four Chan and Reddit. Oh, the Flat Earth people....Oh, the religious freaks that see prophecy on a tortilla. So hard to resist. 

The problem is that lunacy is a part of human development, as one of my posts argues, and is an inherent aspect of our existentialism. As life is convoluted and crazy, so are its expressions online. 

Do I need more of it? 

The Resurrection of the Spiritual Builder.

So, my father was a Mason, and he told me the legends of Hiram Abiff. Like Athena and the Demiurge, he rises again from the crevices of our minds. He is an engregore of the worshipers. 

An egregore is a concept in a concept in Greek arcana that means a spiritual being that arises from the collective thoughts and emotions of a distinct group of individuals. This is similar to the Tulpa in Budhism. The emergent collective mind is supervenient to the shared meaning a community ascribes to its reality. In modern psychology, this is insipidly compatible with mob mentality. It seems that the human mind has self-effacing properties that are engaged when in a group. Perhaps the lack of personal account stability is conducive to more overt expressions of the inner self. 

While this is usually represented in a negative light, I believe there is hope for the internet Tulpa.

This week, I took a look at the crazy sources you are not supposed to look at. I wished to go see Bohemian Grove, but tuition was like crazy. So, I looked at Wikipedia, Four Chann, and Reddit. I loved what I saw more than I would have enjoyed seeing a big owl, Molock. We all have our biases and blind spots. When community-owned truth like the one in these sites is constantly refined by an active community, the collective irons our inadequacies and averages out perspectives. If I were to write a piece on Kant and mention Augustine (one who I am not too familiar with), an expert on Augustine in the community would correct me, vet my ideas, or improve on them. We use this mechanism to validate peer-reviewed research. Well, the research is as good as the peers in this case. The advantage of these forums over traditional academic sources is that they control for the usual blind spots and biases of academia through its lay experts and still bring formalities and knowledge from academics to the community. 

When it comes to self-constructed knowledge, diversity truly is our strength. So, don't be too shy to peer behind the corner and explore online communities. It will only cost your first-born thoughts. Hail to Moloch indeed. 

Of Wolf and Man

               Is the man becoming a beast, or is the beast becoming a man? 

“And God made the two great lights” (Bereishit 1:16), but it is also written [in the same verse] “The greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night’” [implying that one was greater than the other].

The moon said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to share the same crown?”

God therefore said to [the moon], “Go and diminish yourself.”

She said before Him: “Master of the Universe, just because I made a correct observation before You, I should diminish myself?”

God said to her: “Go and rule during both the day and the night.”

She said to Him: “Of what use is a candle at midday?”

God saw that the moon was not appeased. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Bring atonement for Me, since I diminished the moon.”

In this Rabbinical story, God accuses himself of diminishing the moon. He recognizes that the light, which was once equal to the Sun, must become second to it (Jewish mysticism presupposes the moon had its own light, but "moon" does not mean the satellite but a spiritual concept). 

The Moon symbolizes the cyclical nature of emotions and social processes. The Rabbinical calendar is structured around the moon, which dictates holidays, observances, liturgy, and social costumes. This means that the trivial processes of human life, such as when to work, when to marry, and when to go to the temple, should all revolve around the moon. It also means that the liturgy, types, and meanings of prayer will regular the emotional and conscious experience of the people according to the moon. The Feast of Tabernacles is a time for rejoicing, but the Feast of Yom Kippur is a time of sorrow and introspection. This was necessary so that the processes of human life could flow and grow rather than stagnate like the Sun, an intellectual process that never changes (absolutism and positivism).  

Rainie & Wellman (2012) make me question the value of academic exploration. It measures relative and self-reported variables (meaningful relationships) by other convoluted and relative terms (online engagement). The constructs are meaningless. What is a "meaningful relationship"? Some may say they have a meaningful relationship with their pet rock. There we have it. Pet rocks do not adulterate human connection!!! Were those relationships started and always kept online? Does Meaningful mean talking about politics and sharing cat pictures, or does it mean giving your friend on X a kidney? Where is the positivist standard of evaluating that defines the subjective construct? Self-report? Dopamine? 

See why the moon must obey the sun? To giants from Socrates to Jung, "meaningful" means intimate. Are we defining the keyboard warriors who like to argue with me as "intimate"? Sure, some of your "friends" must be redefined as "acquaintances" as they are not intimate. However, social pleasantries aside, your friends on Facebook are not helping your psyche grow and are not creating meaningful bonds. They are creating useful bonds. 

So, bring a sacrifice to atone for the meaningless relativism of concept creep lest we redefine man and beast too.