The web of a thousand lies

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By Ashton Mills
13:39 Apr 29, 2008

It sounds corny, but if you think about the various stages of human evolution and the violent ages that have marked our existence, then the age in which we live – the Information Age – seems tame by comparison. Yet, in truth, it’s perhaps the most remarkable development in our growth yet.

Consider first that language and thus communication is the single largest innovation humankind has ever made, and that it drove the development of human progress to the world we have today – a race that can touch the stars. And now consider that, relatively recent decades of telecommunications aside, the Internet is galvanising a pace of development unseen in our history – because for the first time the entire planet (well, almost) is networked, billions of minds in communication with each other across the globe, at any time, all the time. And we sit at just the beginning of this amazing revolution.

But I digress – back down to Earth, what does this look like? Well, for one, everyone can have a voice and be heard, which is exactly what we’re seeing more and more. Where once mainstream media was the voice of the people, now the people have found their own voice: Everyone can have a webpage, everyone can have a blog. In fact, it’s the voices of the masses that are becoming the new form of content dissemination. Bloggers have become tech journalists, news reporters, entertainers and a voice for the public. People don’t need to rely on newspapers, magazines, TV or radio anymore.

Where once publishers were the gatekeepers to content much like the RIAA is to the music business, and through which the Internet can make everyone a distributor of music, so too the Internet has made everyone a publisher.

So where does that leave publishers?

Like every other sea change, they need to adapt. At Atomic, the importance of the Web has always been self-evident. The Atomic website has been an integral part of the magazine since its inception, two mediums for the Atomic message each optimised for their audiences. Not that I’m just beefing it up because we’re Atomic, but no other magazine has been able to match the loyal following Atomic has for its online component. And we’re always striving to lead the curve.

And that brings me to another role for publishers.

Vernor Vinge, in his book A Fire Upon The Deep, painted this beautiful and disturbing image of a galactic-wide Internet, extrapolating the medium we have today across a galaxy of worlds. In it the Net becomes ‘The web of a thousand lies’ because any truth is swamped by the sheer volume of noise that drives it. How can you trust what you read?

Already the volume of content on the Internet has made a medium where you can’t take everything at face value, from falsely-edited Wikipedia entries to multimillion dollar multinationals trying to buy loyalty with fake YouTube videos (‘All I want for Christmas is a PSP!’). While everyone can be a publisher, not everyone can be a trusted source, and that’s where traditional media can step in with its decades of experience and provide.

But no one, really, can predict the publishing landscape, paper and online, a decade from now. The Net is still but a babe, and it’s already completely revolutionised how we communicate, do business and live our lives every day.

And with communication the very seed of our success, here’s to the network that gives everyone a voice to be heard.

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Atomic Magazine

Issue: 133 | February, 2012

Atomic is a magazine aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts, gamers, and serious PC upgraders.

Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.

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