Week 3 - Blog Posting #5 -Social Media

I’ve gathered that time is of the essence as it seems as though we can not advance fast enough to communicate at a rate mostly sought upon by globalization.

In our tasks – Week 3 – Blog Posting #5 – Social Media, I viewed: “Social Media”, “Did You Know”, “Ideas Worth Spreading”, and “Collective Intelligence” and was quite moved by the messages of the importance of collaboration. They all made mention of the impact that instantaneous communication has made on the world and rationalized that we are now better informed of world events and can react faster because of it, now more than ever before.

The impression left on me is that it is our destiny is to get to a point that the form of social communication would be left to an art form of digitized language - zeros and ones (0110010111000) or perhaps the swiping of barcodes to select the information one is interested in listening to. Perhaps I’m showing my age, but even this technology may now be passé.

While all this is good, I would hate to see some of our culture become so diluted and so compromised that we then loose self-value and a sense of belonging. While thinking about this topic, I decided to explore Shakespeare writings and plays. My favorite one was: “The Taming of the Shrew.” Can you image how TWITTER would butcher this play or being hurried affect your ability to slow down and ponder the words being said?


I’ve taken an excerpt from one of his plays, a comedy taking place in an alehouse (a bar to you and me!).



The Taming of the Shrew

SCENE I. Before an alehouse on a heath.

Role: Lord

“Even as a flattering dream or worthless fancy.
Then take him up and manage well the jest:
Carry him gently to my fairest chamber
And hang it round with all my wanton pictures:
Balm his foul head in warm distilled waters
And burn sweet wood to make the lodging sweet:
Procure me music ready when he wakes,
To make a dulcet and a heavenly sound;
And if he chance to speak, be ready straight
And with a low submissive reverence
Say 'What is it your honour will command?'
Let one attend him with a silver basin
Full of rose-water and bestrew'd with flowers,
Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper,
And say 'Will't please your lordship cool your hands?'
Some one be ready with a costly suit
And ask him what apparel he will wear;
Another tell him of his hounds and horse,
And that his lady mourns at his disease:
Persuade him that he hath been lunatic;
And when he says he is, say that he dreams,
For he is nothing but a mighty lord.
This do and do it kindly, gentle sirs:
It will be pastime passing excellent,
If it be husbanded with modesty.”

Okay, what would TWITTER do with this? I can see it now, “Hey dudes; Party at Joe’s house – BYOB.”

What would it remind you of? Lets see – perhaps an old fraternity prank on one of your pledges while he was out drunk – “Hey fellows, while he’s out cold, lets dress him up in girls clothes and paint his face – it’ll shock him in the morning!”

Advances in technology have its advantageous and can be used to facilitate many positive movements. However, since we are the stewards of all up and coming technologies, should we not also find ways to preserve and honor the roots of our civilization?

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