Assignment 1

This quote assumes that the internet has put knowledge in a dark age. The lack of verification to the information that is shared through the internet has decade and so it’s credibility. Now days any information popularized by the number of viewers becomes an important and reliable information.

“The Internet represents the ascension of yahoos, a victory lap for plagiarists, the end of culture, the beginning of a dark ages inhabited by glassy-eyed chronic masturbators who judge truth by the number of thumbs up, wisdom by the number of views, and knowledge by whatever is the most fun to believe.”(To Big to Know”:Prologue)

The problem in today’s world is not with the vast amount of information, but more with the amount of substantial information we lack access to. This assumes that the overload of information is not an issue but the scarce of information that our society really need.

“And the fear that keeps us awake at night is not that all this information will cause us to have a mental breakdown but that we are not getting enough of the information we need.”(“Too Big to Know” p24)

The great amount of information that we have in today’s world is not the issue but the way it’s been filter. The author explains that there is no effective filter in the internet. Any information put out in the net can always be available. It doesn’t matter if it never gets published or televised as long as it get to the net everyone will be able to access it. This assumes that filters no longer filter out the none substantial information.

“Filters no longer filter out. They filter forward, bringing their results to the front. What doesn’t make it through a filter is still visible and available in the background.”(Too Big to Know” p26)

A technical writer is not only known for the technical skills he/she posses, but also about the knowledge he/she has about what ever it’s been written. The ability to explain a complicated topic to a none expert, is what makes a writer a technical one.

“A technical writer is really a translator. You start with a complicated piece of technology, and your mission is to explain to a nonexpert how to use that technology.”(Technical Writing 101 p8)

A Technical writer has to understand it’s topic but also needs to have the knowledge about what audience he/she will write for. Understanding your audience will help you breakdown the information you will provide. This way you filter out the unnecessary information for the particular audience you are writing for.

“The ability to break down complicated information into content that is appropriate for the
document’s audience is very important.”(Technical Writing 101 p8)

 

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2 Responses to Assignment 1

  1. dmitry says:

    Nice post, David. I liked the quotes you picked as well as your thoughts on them. I agree that “the dark side” of the Internet compromised existing knowledge by introducing vast amounts of unreliable, unverified information, which is often taken for granted solely due to its popularity. As for lacking access to “substantial information”, I think credible sources are still out there and one has all the access to them. The real problem, in my opinion, is that their numbers are dwarfed by all the trash floating around the Internet, which makes it harder to discern trustworthy information.
    Also, you pointed out the scarcity of information “our society really needs.” I understand this quote a bit differently. I think what really troubles us is the feeling that since there is so much information out there, we must be missing out on something important. But, in fact, we don’t. Certainly nothing worth the anxiety and mental breakdowns. People have lived richer and happier lives knowing a fraction of what we know and have access to today.
    Let me disagree on today’s filtering being an issue. In my opinion, comparing internet search engines to filters is not appropriate. A filter is meant to remove undesired matter (information). Search engines don’t do that. They arrange available information according to certain rules. I think of them as highlighters that mark information as relevant (according to a certain template/algorithm) and make it readily visible by moving it to the top of the search. The rest of the information is still available (which is a plus), you simply need to apply a different template. So yes, search engines may not be good filters in the conventional sense, but that is not what they were designed to do.

    Cheers,
    Dmitry

  2. mickael says:

    You organzied and clearly explained the qoutes well, From what i read the author tries to protray books were the the ultimate source of wisdom, achievement, intelligence, and knowledge. I think he tries to say knowledge wasn’t meant to take the shape of a book. Books were how knowledge has been packaged for so long. Knowledge can take many shapes and the internet is how we can have knowlede and access them remotely.
    As you stated” the great amount of information that we have in today’s world is not the issue but the way it’s been filter” seems to be his flaw he finds of the web.
    I agree with that because there are alot of wrong information on the web and need some form of filter.
    The book format doesn’t allow readers to comment in visible ways. In the network, comments from readers are shared with other readers and the author. The comments offer new perspectives, insights, and other feedback that can increase the value of the original article. Sometimes i only read the comments and feedback from other people on a article becuase its more intresting.

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