Is the Internet constraining how we develop as individuals?

Whilst in Nairobi Kenya on 3rd February 2010, I was invited by the BBC World Service to join a discussion on “Is the Internet constraining how we develop as individuals?”. The week day radio show was “World Have Your Say” and that happened to be my second time on the programme. That day’s programme was based on a book by Jaron Lanier which is titled You Are Not a Gadget.

Left: The book cover of You Are Not a Gadget. Right: The author, Jaron Lanier.
Left: The book cover of You Are Not a Gadget. Right: The author, Jaron Lanier.

From Amazon.com book review:

For the most part, Web 2.0–Internet technologies that encourage interactivity, customization, and participation–is hailed as an emerging Golden Age of information sharing and collaborative achievement, the strength of democratized wisdom. Jaron Lanier isn’t buying it. In You Are Not a Gadget, the longtime tech guru/visionary/dreadlocked genius (and progenitor of virtual reality) argues the opposite: that unfettered–and anonymous–ability to comment results in cynical mob behavior, the shouting-down of reasoned argument, and the devaluation of individual accomplishment. Lanier traces the roots of today’s Web 2.0 philosophies and architectures (e.g. he posits that Web anonymity is the result of ’60s paranoia), persuasively documents their shortcomings, and provides alternate paths to “locked-in” paradigms. Though its strongly-stated opinions run against the bias of popular assumptions, You Are Not a Gadget is a manifesto, not a screed; Lanier seeks a useful, respectful dialogue about how we can shape technology to fit culture’s needs, rather than the way technology currently shapes us.

The conversation we had on the BBC World Service’ World Have Your Say platform was interesting and touched on many of the new technological influences on our culture & lifestyle.

You may stream the audio below:

Alternatively, you can download the MP3 audio file. *Note: I am featured in the last 10 minutes of the programme.

Is the Internet constraining how we develop as individuals? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

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Oluniyi D. Ajao
Oluniyi D. Ajao is an Internet Entrepreneur and Tech Enthusiast based in South Africa. Follow him on twitter @niyyie for more tech updates.

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