Why The Information Economy is So Valuable
The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.
Information about major social events are passed down through the generations using systems of communication that are flawed and full of noise. (Oral communication, written word… etc) However, as the example above illustrates, we are getting better at communicating, and the ability for humanity to quickly and accurately assess problems and then convey those problems into a social narrative will enable future generation to benefit from our experience.
This amazing video was created as a thesis by an art student, Jonathan Jarivs, from Pasadena California. This is an excellent and concise explanation of the Credit Crisis the world is currently facing. It also helps illustrate a point about the information economy, and human communication/information evolution. It is one of the major reasons I am so optimistic about the future of humanity and why I am happy to have and raise a family in a world that appears to be going into uncertain and maybe ominous times.
Here we have a very complicated issue that has been wonderfully and clearly explained. There is no asset more valuable in the human race than clear understanding of the major issues and mistakes of our time. This idea is fully embraced in the adage “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it”. This of course speaks to the importance of remembering history, but not only remembering it, remembering it clearly and accurately.
It’s like maturity and experience on a very macro level. If you base the span of human society on the model of a single human being it can shed light on our current experience, which world wide can seem very barbaric to a single rational human being. In our current form, the whole of humanity might resemble an awkward teenager, confused maybe even angry about life and existence. Though certainly, given time, patience and a little understanding, that teenager will one day develop into a rational thinking human being. The largest forms of growth will of course come through self reflection.
Certainly the metaphor is crude, and full of flaws, but I think the point is a good one. The current credit crisis can be seen in a positive light, as a good lesson the whole of humanity will learn from. As we progress into the future, I can only expect that the systems of communication, and the sophistication that we engage in these systems will also increase in a rational and meaningful way.