Vanever Bush’s memex inspired the internet as we know it today. It was a radical way of researching and reading that would allow the reader to take control, go at his own pace, and create unique pathways to different conclusions. By enabling the reader to jump quickly from book to book, passage to passage, author to author, the ultimate authority of the writer began to dissolve. Today, it barely requires a thought to jump from one link to the next. Our internet is the very reflection of how our mind processes information. And I don’t think it’s a detriment to research or the self, rather, this ability to take control and choose our own path is empowering. No where else in history can one find this kind of power — the infinite possibilities the internet promises is kind of scary. Turning the unimaginable into reality was truly a revolution, and I just hope that our progress is worth the consequences. It’s true, my generation has a shorter attention span, we live with our parents longer, and by golly we listen to the radio when we drive. Despite this, I still don’t think that having instant access information is completely a bad thing. In a way, we’re forced into it, technology is all around us, every single second. Even in going ‘off the grid’ technology is still at work affecting peoples’ lives. I’ve mentioned before that a robot takeover is imminent, and I only half-joke. Human progress is natural and inexplicable, but if we keep pushing the boundaries, life will give way to something much less human, and much more dire than a teenager obsessed with his phone.
Behold, The Internet
