#0011 Media and Machines
Welcome to Constant Flux, a weekly lens taking a systemic view on the polycrisis.
Only one commentary on an article this week. I didn't have time for much reading.
Media and machines
Certainly the most thought-provoking article I've read lately. Anu Atluru suggests that media has evolved from reflecting reality to actively constructing it. Very McLuhanish, but not just "the medium is the message". More like, the medium as a reality creator.
Atluru calls this the "duality of our age,". An age where media and machine work together, with the inputs fed into machines increasingly shaping what is is real.
What is striking is that this self-generation feels emergent, and for now, it probably is, as AI labs are simultaneously building the machine and letting people use it. But it is also pretty obvious that this could easily evolve into deliberate design. As companies and political entities recognize the power of these loops, more intentional manipulation of what enters the system seems inescapable.
In fact, aren't LLMs just another way for constructing realities? It's not far-fetched to imagine a world where what you see and believe is shaped not just by algorithms optimizing for engagement (we've lived in that world for 20 years already), but also by the LLM you use. Free versions of these models make it easy to manipulate outputs, feeding them narratives to shape desired realities.
This reminds me of the idea and the need of a strategic fact reserve (mentioned in #0007), where access to "what is real" becomes a privilege. Like being able to buy the family an encyclopedia back in the day.
As a hobbyist cybernetician, I'd say this is a manifestation of autopoiesis in action --> media and machines not just reflecting reality but perpetually recreating it.
Great essay, made me think.
Ripples
Science Fiction is Strategy
A worksheet/playground for design fiction.
BBC harnesses AI to create writing classes given by Agatha Christie
Resurrecting the past to add another layer to the media<->machine loop.
Next-Gen Soft Exoskeleton Boosts Mobility for Kids With Cerebral Palsy
This is what technology is for.