
The highest goal of publishing
Shit. Is this a good or bad thing? We shall see.
What is the highest and most noble goal of publishing? It will become more evident after digesting tonight’s post.
But, sharing — especially on a global scale between humans — is a damn good clue.
Humankind has been curious and trying to communicate since the beginning of time (or is existence a better word?).
“We have records of humans sharing knowledge going back over 40,000 years in cave drawings. It was likely happening even earlier than that when humans would draw in the dirt with a stick to share ideas and information and tips.” — Jason Hiner.
Oh yeah! We have been blah-blah-blahing forever. And to what purpose? Why, to share of course! And to satisfy our ever existing curiosity — one of the things that truly separate us from all the other animals on this earth.
Key excerpts from tonight’s research source:
“People being able to share their thoughts and experiences and perspectives with a global community of human beings, regardless of geography, time zone, or traditional social barriers represents such a fundamental shift in society that it has forever altered the destiny of the human race in ways that we’re just beginning to comprehend. The fact that this has only existed on a widespread scale for two decades means that we’ve barely scratched the surface of how it will alter the ways humans interact, organize, and help each other.”
“But ultimately, sharing on a global scale is the heart of what we do. It’s one of the most beautiful things about being human. And we now have the ability to do it in more powerful ways than ever to help each other do better work, build stronger communities, and create a better society.” — NOTE FROM JOHN: And this, my good friends, is the highest and most noble goal of publishing.
From Jason Hiner published in TechRepublic:
Internet trolls, community, and the beauty of being human
As TechRepublic celebrates 15 years of knowledge-sharing among technology professionals, we tip our hat to the internet’s greatest virtue.
The internet enables one thing better than anything else humanity has ever created.
Sharing.
When we think of web forums and article comments and internet trolls, we don’t usually think of sharing in the same way that our kindergarten teachers taught us about it, which was mostly about learning to be more kind and less selfish.
It feels like just the opposite on the web on many days as the anonymity of the internet enables people to say cruel things they would rarely ever say in person. Nevertheless, the nastiness of trolls and cyberbullies can — understandably — cloud our judgment about the real value of what happens on the internet every day.
People being able to share their thoughts and experiences and perspectives with a global community of human beings, regardless of geography, time zone, or traditional social barriers represents such a fundamental shift in society that it has forever altered the destiny of the human race in ways that we’re just beginning to comprehend. The fact that this has only existed on a widespread scale for two decades means that we’ve barely scratched the surface of how it will alter the ways humans interact, organize, and help each other.
The business and technology worlds have been at the forefront of these changes. From the speed that business transactions are carried out to the ways tech support is delivered to the forums where people in niche specialties can meet and collaborate, the ways that the corporate world and the technology industry operate have been drastically transformed within two decades, and there’s a lot more transformation still unfolding.
But, the heart of all of this is that one fundamental human characteristic: Sharing.
Nothing defines the human experience more than the ability to share what’s inside our heads with each other. I recently saw this phenomenon brilliantly explained by Michael Stevens of Vsauce.
In his nine-minute YouTube video Is Your Red The Same as My Red?, Stevens lays out the case for how this concept of sharing separates a human being from every other living thing on the planet. The heart of this conversation begins at the 5:30 mark in the video.
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