does anyone study history?

i see comments stating implicitly or explicitly that video will (note use of
future tense, that's a clue folks) have the same profound effect as writing.
ha ha ha.

the effect of the masses being taught to read/write changed EVERYTHING in
europe (i was born there, now live in north america, so i'll leave my
observations to these places)... no western culture would exist in any
recognizable form without writing/print... this is not an exaggeration: read
about events following the black plague, memory cathedrals, martin luther,
etc and it's affect on society. (one interesting example is none of us can
remember much compared to those who lived before)

video's not close to that and is unlikely to be: no fundamental institutions
have yet formed from the existence of video... no social hierarchies of any
importance (videobloggers are clearly more important than anyone else on the
planet but leaving that aside...) have developed either... yes, hollywood
generates "celebrities" people who are accorded higher social status in a
mundane way, but this phenomena has been around a very long time, it isn't
new; gladiators for instance.

but even more importantly...


in my opinion, before video will replace text, something will replace video.

new technologies have already been developed that are more likely to play a
large role in communications over this century... here's a couple i recently
read:

how about the one that can directly interface to the brain (new scientist
reports on electroencephalography with quadriplegics able to make a
wheelchair move forward, left or right)... considering the full implications
of devices like this, it's not hard to see where the real revolutions will
occur in communications.

developments in hormones allow people to "bottle" emotional states. (look up
Oxytocin's and the University of Zurich)... what artist wouldn't want to get
their hands on something like that? (not to mention politicians, frustrated
lovers, etc)


UPSIDE
so easy to be critical... one really should reveal one's own preferences.

where i do feel video steps up and above is regarding tangible experiences.
reading travel books has nothing on even the most amateur video footage
taken in some far-off location. the subtle interplay of facial features, etc
gives clear messages that'd never translate as well in text form.

my videoblogs otherwise are usually quite amateurish technically, but they
capture an emotion nicely... more pro ones tend to be overly concerned with
polish rather than content. there's also a sense of lack-of-control ("i
dunno why it worked out so good, but check it out!" type of blogs) which i
enjoy. serendipity.

newscast blogs are ok, but the regard i have for them stems from their
social function... they blog stuff corporate newscasters won't touch, or
think is unimportant, or is unsuited to their political agenda.

blogs in the "omg i'm so special" style are ok in small doses... easy to
relate to cuz hey! "I" am the most important person in my universe... and i
would hope everyone else feels the same about themselves in their
universe... but i'll only watch a few before moving on to someone else.


CONCLUSION
video's just another tool in the arsenal we have to communicate.

a statement like "war on text" implies such a narrow vision of what
experiences are worth sharing... i can't imagine how drab and dull things
would be, tho if i go back and re-read 1984 perhaps i'll have an idea.

later
rob

ps ~ someone wrote that video is non-linear... only from a creators
perspective... the audience has no such luxury. whereas text? there's a
thing called skim-reading. works great.

text requires far less attention than video... do the test: glance at a
paragraph, glance at a video. which one do you feel confident you understand
the creators intent?

and hyperlinks? they are the embodiment of non-linear, allowing a person to
go back/forth at will to whatever section they wish. video has nothing as
effective... hotspots are a cool idea, but there's a lack of grace regarding
how they're incorporated into video footage. hypertext links otoh can be
ignored or used with no distraction to the reading material.

pps ~ "war on text"? ick. must've been a joke i missed cuz i find it a
tasteless phrase.

ppps ~ i'll go back to lurking now.