What informational heritage will we leave to our children?
This topic, or rather its problems, was finally formed after reading one small essay in a computer-related magazine, which sometimes falls into my hands.
Modern, IT-advanced and developed community has long been accustomed to the daily reading of many news sites, aggregators, feeds and individual blogs. Equally with this, we spend less and less time reading traditional, paper-based information carriers. The most technically advanced stratum of society no longer visits bookstores, newsstands, and street vendors; it does not subscribe to traditional periodicals. Instead, browsers came on computers, all kinds of smartphones and communicators, various specialized devices that provide the ability to read e-books, news, RSS, etc.
This is probably good.
')
Thanks to these technologies, we began to quickly gain access to the information we need. We got access to unlimited communication. And access has become more convenient.
What are the side effects?
Previously, when communication was conducted using a regular sheet of paper, a ballpoint pen, a pencil, or even before the pen - it was a long, thoughtful process of preparing the text, often the letter was rewritten several times. Then the envelope was sealed, then the mailbox or post office, then the delivery of the letter. And after a while the addressee repeated the same actions. The whole process, which modern technology has accelerated thousands of times.
That's just before, the letters were collected in piles, in folders, placed in boxes. I remember very well the closet in the office of my grandfather, who conducted extensive correspondence. I remember how he could spend several days writing the answer to the other end of the world. I suspect - these were to some extent literary masterpieces.
And now my Microsoft Outlook reminds his closet. It has no less folders, boxes, letters. But the letters became shorter, drier, simpler, the bright emotions and the joy of receiving the letter disappeared ...
But even this is not important. When the grandfather was gone, a huge archive of correspondence remained after him. I agree, it’s interesting, probably, only to my grandmother, to me personally, and to some crazy historian and archivist.
And there was also a huge library of books, subscriptions of newspapers and magazines over the decades. This is the information heritage accumulated and left by the older generation for me. It's all right to transfer to any library. But I’m hardly likely to go to the library to find information about anyone. Rather, Google, Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Yandex.
And what will I leave to my children and grandchildren? It is even more doubtful that they will go to the library. Everything goes to the transfer of information to the network.
Having obtained the technology, we began to confuse the data with really useful information. Every day we digest a huge amount of data, and at the same time we do not think about what exactly of this should be preserved. Every day we create a huge stream of messages, mail, diaries and forums, photos. And the volumes are growing every day.
And even if we discard the sorting question: what is important and what is not, then the safety of this information is just as important. We are largely unaccustomed and have not realized the need to make backup copies of this information. Agree - the likelihood of a fire that will destroy the family photo archive or home library is much less than the failure of the hard drive. And then how can I explain to my son that all his photos up to five years old are buried along with that old 1 terabyte sigate?
The option of storing information on the Web, which is increasingly being offered to us by the leading giants, is also ambiguous. Firstly, they do not determine which information is more important to us. Secondly, the information that has come to them is not only yours - it is and they too. Thirdly, they do not guarantee and are not responsible for its safety (this is not a bank box after all).
PS: Let them be a little messy, but I hope the topic will interest not only me.
I will be glad to know the opinion of Habrovchan on this topic.
Modern, IT-advanced and developed community has long been accustomed to the daily reading of many news sites, aggregators, feeds and individual blogs. Equally with this, we spend less and less time reading traditional, paper-based information carriers. The most technically advanced stratum of society no longer visits bookstores, newsstands, and street vendors; it does not subscribe to traditional periodicals. Instead, browsers came on computers, all kinds of smartphones and communicators, various specialized devices that provide the ability to read e-books, news, RSS, etc.
This is probably good.
')
Thanks to these technologies, we began to quickly gain access to the information we need. We got access to unlimited communication. And access has become more convenient.
What are the side effects?
Previously, when communication was conducted using a regular sheet of paper, a ballpoint pen, a pencil, or even before the pen - it was a long, thoughtful process of preparing the text, often the letter was rewritten several times. Then the envelope was sealed, then the mailbox or post office, then the delivery of the letter. And after a while the addressee repeated the same actions. The whole process, which modern technology has accelerated thousands of times.
That's just before, the letters were collected in piles, in folders, placed in boxes. I remember very well the closet in the office of my grandfather, who conducted extensive correspondence. I remember how he could spend several days writing the answer to the other end of the world. I suspect - these were to some extent literary masterpieces.
And now my Microsoft Outlook reminds his closet. It has no less folders, boxes, letters. But the letters became shorter, drier, simpler, the bright emotions and the joy of receiving the letter disappeared ...
But even this is not important. When the grandfather was gone, a huge archive of correspondence remained after him. I agree, it’s interesting, probably, only to my grandmother, to me personally, and to some crazy historian and archivist.
And there was also a huge library of books, subscriptions of newspapers and magazines over the decades. This is the information heritage accumulated and left by the older generation for me. It's all right to transfer to any library. But I’m hardly likely to go to the library to find information about anyone. Rather, Google, Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Yandex.
And what will I leave to my children and grandchildren? It is even more doubtful that they will go to the library. Everything goes to the transfer of information to the network.
Having obtained the technology, we began to confuse the data with really useful information. Every day we digest a huge amount of data, and at the same time we do not think about what exactly of this should be preserved. Every day we create a huge stream of messages, mail, diaries and forums, photos. And the volumes are growing every day.
And even if we discard the sorting question: what is important and what is not, then the safety of this information is just as important. We are largely unaccustomed and have not realized the need to make backup copies of this information. Agree - the likelihood of a fire that will destroy the family photo archive or home library is much less than the failure of the hard drive. And then how can I explain to my son that all his photos up to five years old are buried along with that old 1 terabyte sigate?
The option of storing information on the Web, which is increasingly being offered to us by the leading giants, is also ambiguous. Firstly, they do not determine which information is more important to us. Secondly, the information that has come to them is not only yours - it is and they too. Thirdly, they do not guarantee and are not responsible for its safety (this is not a bank box after all).
PS: Let them be a little messy, but I hope the topic will interest not only me.
I will be glad to know the opinion of Habrovchan on this topic.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/22586/
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