The web has already done its part to eliminate communication barriers,
but we haven’t quite breached the dam of globalization in our human
interaction. The web has done something amazing and it really is close
to a true democracy. You have overnight millionaires breaking class
stereotypes, unnoticed causes getting worldwide press, and new media
like we could have never imagined ten years ago. However, we still
aren’t breaking out of our already established social circles and
experiencing the problems and cultures outside of our own. The problem
isn’t with the technology, at least not entirely. The first problem to
address is us, the user.
Look at the majority of the people you interact with online. The
devil’s advocates are surely screaming, “I follow BBC Africa.” As
you’re saying that though, remember true interaction on the web
consists of two way interaction. Following someone, retweeting them,
fanning their page or other trivial interaction does not constitute
communication in any measure. Communication by definition requires
both parties. Now think again about the people you interact with
online. Baring the rare exception, most people only communicate with
their already existing circle of friends and associates. Even though
we have dozens of new media to reach out to others, the human
condition and stigma prevents us from going put of our way to speak
with someone who we’ve never met.
Another problem lies in the language barrier. One of the highest
percentages of population on Twitter is from Brazil. The majority of
people understandably do most of their communication in the native
tongue. In order for me to begin a conversation with someone from
Brazil chances are that I would:
- Have to have the gumption.
- Have to have the desire.
- Have to be able to reasonably communicate in a common language,
Portuguese is not one of mine.
As you break down the large set of obstacles that we have as humans,
you begin to understand that the technology is not limiting us, but
rather that we are limiting technology.
Although we are not evolving, luckily our technology is. We’re
beginning to see a lot of startups develop language learning tools and
translation tools. While I am a large proponent of learning as many
languages as you possibly can, these translation technologies are more
sustainable and achievable because of the amount of languages spoken
across the web.
Another direction that is being taken with the new semantic web is our
data liberation and the mapping, visualization, and linkage of this
data. Even if the human stigma prevents us from going out of our way
to communicate, we believe with the evolution of the web we will begin
to see more data bytes being linked together. Rather than linking just
a page or a piece of a photo, actual bits of data will be linked to
people, places, or anything imaginable. The sublime scenario will
create an alert system to both sides of the link, not unlike a Google
Alert for a piece of information, but more public and visualized
contextually. We aren’t lacking in information on the web, we are
lacking in our ability to visualize, map it, and view it within
context of the other data linked to it. With this final piece of the
puzzle, our ability to communicate, share ideas and track these ideas
will truly sky rocket to unprecedented levels. With an alert system,
ability to visualize the collective knowledge of the world, and
contextualize the web available to anyone, our global communication
may really begin to come into its own.
The technology is on its way, and over the next 2 years we will start
to see some of these changes come to fruition. The part I don’t see
changing, is our natural tendency to stay within our comfort zones,
not pay attention to outside cultures or issues, and be complacent
about information in other languages. These problems do not have
complete technological answers. These are problems that we need to
address in our classrooms, cultures, rhetoric, and mindset. Although
the web will get us close, without the human spark we’ll just have new
media to consume in our own social circles just like always.