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Is Amazon killing literary culture?

Is amazon killing literary culture?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No

    Votes: 7 46.7%

  • Stewart

    Votes: 3 20.0%

  • Literary culture has already been killed

    Votes: 5 33.3%
  • Total voters
    15
  • Poll closed .
Thanks ABC! See if it wasn't for the internet where would I get great advice for hypothetical situations??
:lol:
 
Peder said:
Thanks for the question, Polly. I'll be back with you when we get home from shopping.
Sincerely
Peder
:flowers:
Click to expand...
Hi Polly,
The thread seems to be going nicely, so I think I'll hold my thoughts.
Peder
:flowers:
 
*Takes deep breath*

I'll keep my fingers crossed. I believe I'll listen to L.L. Cool J and sip a grape soda while I wait to see if the Internet goes away.
 
Polly Parrot said:
OK. Still wondering about how the internet would be the end of civilized culture, though.
Click to expand...

OK, Polly, since you repeat your question, long answer.

First, some context. In posts #2 and #6 upthread (which I would request people reread) I think it can be seen that my general view is that Amazon is not killing the local literary cultures that I have been part of in two separate locales. I wouldn't necessarily say that the Internet is either, subject to the caveat of the difference between culture and Culture already pointed out in my posts.

Second, before people get too upset about the particular post you are referring to, I would kindly request that it be noticed that the first word is "Sometimes." The sometimes I refer to are the times when I think of all the numerous rude and uncivil conversations that I have seen on every forum where I have been a member. There always seems to be a person or several willing to savage other participants in a forum using language that I doubt they would use in ordinary face-to-face civilized conversation with the same people. The Internet seems to loosen people's aggressive urges and it causes at least me to despair about the ultimate course of internet conversation. Will the intenet end conversation? No. But the civility may not be so great.

Re the thought added to the discussion that the internet will advance general knowledge and culture all over the world, I think it might be too early to tell. I think the situation may be analogous to early TV, which was going to be a great medium for cultural uplift and has led to what we see now. Maybe not. Anyone who wishes is free to register their disagreement, of course.

Just one man's thoughts,
Peder
 
For me, it's pretty simple (in its complexity): Anything deserving to call itself "civilized culture" should always be based on communication between human beings. The Internet is nothing but communication between human beings. With all their flaws, and all their beauty. Some people who've always taken for granted that they know exactly how the world works find out that others have different opinions. This is, in principle if far from always in practice, a good thing.

Anyway, back on topic: This article, which I don't entirely agree with but I think makes some interesting points.

Amazon’s Assault on Intellectual Freedom « An American Editor
 
Peder said:
OK, Polly, since you repeat your question, long answer.

First, some context. In posts #2 and #6 upthread (which I would request people reread) I think it can be seen that my general view is that Amazon is not killing the local literary cultures that I have been part of in two separate locales. I wouldn't necessarily say that the Internet is either, subject to the caveat of the difference between culture and Culture already pointed out in my posts.

Second, before people get too upset about the particular post you are referring to, I would kindly request that it be noticed that the first word is "Sometimes." The sometimes I refer to are the times when I think of all the numerous rude and uncivil conversations that I have seen on every forum where I have been a member. There always seems to be a person or several willing to savage other participants in a forum using language that I doubt they would use in ordinary face-to-face civilized conversation with the same people. The Internet seems to loosen people's aggressive urges and it causes at least me to despair about the ultimate course of internet conversation. Will the intenet end conversation? No. But the civility may not be so great.

Re the thought added to the discussion that the internet will advance general knowledge and culture all over the world, I think it might be too early to tell. I think the situation may be analogous to early TV, which was going to be a great medium for cultural uplift and has led to what we see now. Maybe not. Anyone who wishes is free to register their disagreement, of course.

Just one man's thoughts,
Peder
Click to expand...

I do agree with you that the internet sometimes stops face-to-face communication between people. I attend a Finnegans Wake reading group every Wednesday morning but I don't see such discussions taking place on the internet, even if it's only because the reading group format of someone reading out a page and then everyone discussing the words and sentences doesn't really work on the internet, I think.

However, the internet does further discussion in that it enables one to communicate with a more diverse set of people. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes away people's inhibitions and, even though they can think more before they "speak" (i.e. type), it doesn't always happen and people end up being rude and insulting.
 
I'm glad to see that we seem to be in vaguely general agreement that communication among diverse people is, or should be, a good thing, even as we all seem to have our own reservations and express them in different ways.
Cheers to all,
Peder
:flowers:
 
Polly Parrot said:
I do agree with you that the internet sometimes stops face-to-face communication between people. I attend a Finnegans Wake reading group every Wednesday morning but I don't see such discussions taking place on the internet, even if it's only because the reading group format of someone reading out a page and then everyone discussing the words and sentences doesn't really work on the internet, I think.

However, the internet does further discussion in that it enables one to communicate with a more diverse set of people. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes away people's inhibitions and, even though they can think more before they "speak" (i.e. type), it doesn't always happen and people end up being rude and insulting.
Click to expand...


I often find myself using ideas and information I've found in various forums in face to face discussions. I have friends who love to read, but for whatever reason, have not found themselves in groups such as this one, so I try to pass on book ideas I've gleaned here. Thanks to you guys, I'm the one saying, "but have you tried this author or this book?" The net allows us all to be armchair librarians, helping others find resources to fit their needs as we go about our ordinary real time lives. That has to be a good thing.
 
One of the things I find impressive about the ‘net is that it allows socially inept people to make friends. Asperger’s, for instance, doesn’t make for a great party-goer. The Internet, however, allows these people to interact and create relationships that were 100% impossible before.
 
Lovecraftian said:
One of the things I find impressive about the ‘net is that it allows socially inept people to make friends. Asperger’s, for instance, doesn’t make for a great party-goer. The Internet, however, allows these people to interact and create relationships that were 100% impossible before.
Click to expand...

This is very true.
 
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