Theft at the Public Till
many people feel so lonely despite their technical links to so many media networks. The ability to express oneself is not enough. The problem is that the idea of actually understanding a message has no place in the "more data, means more information, means better choices" model of the world. That symbols can be spread by media from one mind to another is undeniable. Whether these symbols are actually understood by the receiver is less certain. No matter how gross the perceptual bias, no matter how skewed the personal senses, understanding the message, sharing the thought, remains at the heart of communication. David Gerlernter in his Muse in the Machine argues that understanding and effective communication are based on our concluding that the target of our intended communication has enough of a similar emotional reaction to the communication as we do. He calls this the "induced emotion" definition of understanding. In this context, symbols are dangerous, for indeed we may succeed through symbols in communicating emotional content but fail miserably in communicating the essence of substance upon which a decision might depend. Gerlernter explains that we have a "degree of mental focus" from low to high, from sharp to not, that affects our cognition of the whole, or our Gestalt of a situation. When focused, we use logic and see patterns based on abstractions. When less focused, concrete items may stand out, abstract patterns dissipate, and we function at a less goal directed level. If our mental maps and memory are always present, then in his view "playing with mental models [abstractions] is the interruption, and traffic with memory is continuous.... Thinking is remembering. Emotion is content transcending abstraction." One way to illustrate this is to think of our information overload as a vast smorgasbord of different cuisines. The analogy is startlingly apt. Some foods are hot, spicy, and exciting; others are cool and bland. There are all kinds of flavors and textures-crunchy, prickly, moist, juicy, dry, crumbly, flaky, sharp, tangy. There are natural foods and synthetic concoctions that require you to add water, stir, and pop into the microwave. Some cuisines are stick-to-your- ribs heavy; others will leave you hungry in an hour. These options all shape the way we perceive the experience of eating. People who grow up in Paris
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