During a debate on the influence of digital revolution on our society which took place last week at PICNIC - a conference for the creative industry held annually in Amsterdam, the following question was put regarding the glut of information on the web:

"Should we listen to authority or just to anyone - and who is an authority and who is not?'

You'll see how some of the PICNIC participants and speakers responded in Expatica article 'Seeing ourselves through the internet'
at:

http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp...;story_id=44558

(mod changed url to http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp...;story_id=44558 )

I'd be interested in knowing your views on this.

Natasha Gunn
Features Editor Expatica Netherlands

Lots of information to digest here prior to any sort of ration comment.

To add fuel to the fire, here Are Keen's comments on his return from PICNIC

Hello Natasha,

In reference to your question, allow me to bring to light an internet event that is most interesting to me. It is the broadcasting of the "Columbia President Bollinger Introduces Ahmadinejad" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tACSopIZVdk) event. The entire forum is available for viewing on youtube.com.

I learned a few things about President Ahmadinejad; the fact that he considers himself a scholar is most intriguing yet his views towards women seem warped, based on our "western" concept of feminism.

My husband thought it was a sideshow for this American elitist college to display for all the world to see and that it was dangerous to not have it filtered by a established journalist. I considered it a "BY-PASS." A by-pass in the sense that it was a broadcast without inference from our government and from our news media. The viewer was seeing something for themselves, as it happened. What better way is there to scratch authority and allow us to think for ourselves than internet broadcasting?

I am a visual communications student at SUNY online. Your subject this morning really caught my eye because I am researching and writing a paper called "Global Consciousness of Visual Communications." It is based on the philosophies of Leonard Shlain's "Alphabet vs Goddess" theory (http://www.alphabetvsgoddess.com/site/). Dr Shlain believes with more visual communications such as photography, tv, film and now the internet we will become a more holistic and a benevolent world because we will be using both sides of our brain's hemispheres. I believe we will also tap into the back part of our brains, but that is another subject? It's my plan to advocate for his theory.

My regards, Georgette

Hi Georgette,

Thanks for your comments. There's another thread on the forum relating to the Iranian president's statement that there aren't any gays in Iran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tACSopIZVdk

I agree that this broadcast was revealing - and believe that it is a good thing that the internet permits such unfiltered reporting live.

As you said Ahmadinejad views towards women seem warped, based on our "western" concept of feminism. Incredible that this man has such power with such a mind set, and dangerous.

With regards to Leonard Shlain's "Alphabet vs Goddess" theory - I read the summary and am not so sure if he isn't simplifying matters too much by saying that "increasing reliance on right brain pattern recognition instead of left brain linear sequence will move culture toward equilibrium between the two hemispheres, between masculine and feminine, between word and image" but I'd like to read more about it.

I'd be interested to hear more about your research.

This was the thread on the International News forum:
Why would anyone want to protect these people?
http://my.expatica.com/c:nl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=97861

Thanks for your reply and the suggestion to look at the threads on Expatica about the youtube.com "Columbia President Bollinger Introduces Ahmadinejad" video.

While reading the comments below the video, it's hard not to wonder if the comments make a difference negatively or positively? It has to have some influence would you say? How else would I be able to hear the views of someone on the other side of the world? And consider his side of view.

Yes, please give Shlain a good read. I do think seeing a visual is more revealing than reading a story, but of course reading has it's inference with knowledge thrown in. There's advantages to both. I am studying how the mind works, we really see our lives in little pictures, not in words. And the coming about of photography enhances that innate aspect of ourselves.

Does Expatica have any threads about blogs changing someone's opinion? Guess that is another thing to look up.

My regards, Georgette