Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane Instagram – Many people would agree that the internet, and in particular social media, has in profound ways eroded the quality of the human experience. (Yes, I recognize the contradiction of posting this on a social media platform.) For all the informational convenience the internet offers, it is deeply flawed. How can it be improved? Writer Ben Tarnoff proposes one possibility in this intriguing book, which urges the development of “a public lane on the information superhighway.” He points out that at this stage of our culture, the internet is like driving a car or using a phone: it’s inconceivable to function without it. Therefore, there should be, as Bernie Sanders has suggested, funding “to build publicly owned and democratically controlled, co-operative, or open-access broadband networks.” To put it another way, not just bookstores, but public libraries as well. “Librarians are the original information workers,” Tarnoff writes. “They retrieve, classify, curate, and contextualize information, and they do so not for profit, but as a public service. This is a service that is sorely needed in online spaces.” The pitch put forth in this book is complex and fascinating, and too layered to sum up here. It’s worth checking out for yourself. | Posted on 04/Dec/2023 07:57:31