Communication and Technology
I used NotebookLM to help synthesize my writing from the last few years. Specifically, I input the model with Creative Surplus (the book in progress I self-published some years ago), blog posts on starting a meta-community, a 100-page draft of prompts and essays titled Being in Space, and other websites.
On communication and technology (edited)
Human technology, which encompasses organizations, brands, institutions, email, and architecture, mediates communication.
In contrast to natural technology such as ecosystems, sonar waves, or mushrooms, humans created language to facilitate intersubjective spaces and creativity.
Technology changes the connection between words and ideas in the development of asynchronous communication in writing, long-distance communication through letters and phones, and hyper-connectivity through cybernetics and the internet.
However, technological innovation and mediation often strain meaning and make it difficult to maintain context. For example, consider the challenges of holding context across multiple messaging platforms compared to a group discussion in a room.
Claude Shannon's 1948 invention of digital communication, which translates all communication into binary code (0s and 1s), further complicates communication by creating a constant game of "broken telephone." This technological mediation shifts from "whole communication" to "small communication."
"Whole communication" seeks full context and asks individuals to show up as themselves. In contrast, "small communication" seeks transmission and encourages individuals to show up as personas (defined by job titles or pre-written scripts).
Within communication, individuals can create "Thirdness," meaning that it is independent of any one side and beneficial to all parties involved.
However, pseudo-connection tends to replace meta-connection as individuals develop personas (e.g., professional roles).
Each new communication platform introduces pseudo-connections and hinders context, crucial for articulating personal meaning and value.
I would grade the original output a 6 / 10. It made some links but needed heavy editing to add value to the words based on a small set of ideas I wrote. I find chatGPT’s output cartoonish 99% of the time.
Thank you for reading.