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We know the value of a varied diet. Whilst we might not be
able to articulate the optimum protein/carb balance or agree
on which plans are truly beneficial, we certainly seek
variety.
I often complain about being bombarded with communications: too
many emails, too many calls and too many adverts assailing me.
Don't you?
Yet, if all of this was stripped away, we'd feel somehow
disconnected from the wider world, not just from the worldwide
web.
Today, we can increasingly choose which voices influence us. We
add or delete followers and friends on various social media
platforms, browse only the websites which match our
tastes and requirements and choose which programmes we want to
watch, filtering out both commercials and entire channels.
Because I consume so much information and entertainment online,
I'm hardly ever forced to read, hear or see anything I haven't
already pre-approved for personal consumption.
The days of flicking through a newspaper and having my
attention arrested by articles that I wouldn't ever think of
searching for are almost gone.
Lost forever are evenings flicking through TV channels and
stopping, captivated by something outside of my regular
diet. Only occasionally does my car radio stray off of my
favourite two frequencies (usually out of vague
curiosity, rather than purposeful intent).
I'm choosing and consuming my own entertainment, education
and information sources with greater precision than ever. Is
that a proverbial gourmet delight - or am I selecting a diet
which will leave my system dangerously out of kilter with
reality? Is digital, on-demand media an a-la-carte dream,
attuned to perfection - or is it a nightmarish step
down the road to fragmenting and ghettoising society like
never before?
How will we ever maintain a varied diet when we're never
challenged to eat the food someone else has prepared?
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