Once upon a time there was there was a society whose cultural sphere was led and from and fed meaning from narrative.  This lasted for many hundreds and thousands of years, until one day, Database was introduced to the society.  He challenged Narrative’s ways, and soon, before long, was running the show.

Are databases and their devices taking over narrative in our culture?

Novels and films have long since established narrative as the fundamental practice of cultural expression in the modern age.  However, many new media forms are contesting this, showing that cultural expression does not necessarily need to be tied down by a beginning, middle and end nor a developmental (whether theomatical, formal or sequence) structure.

Databases are and networks are now dominating social form and culture.  These “structured collection[s] of data” as Lev Manovich calls them operate in either a Hierarchical, Network, Relational or Object-oriented structure in organisation communications and information.

Jean-Francois Lyotard, a French philosopher, sociologist, and literary theorist guy called our evolving culture as a “computerized society”.  As databases progress, we see a world dominated by and characterised by a formless throng of images, texts and data records.

Jean-Francois Lyotard

Encyclopedias are essentially collections of recipes, quotes, photos and facts.

But, since the introduction of CD-ROMS in 1993, their use and identity has changed quite significantly.  They are no longer simply a storage device but a cultural form on their own.  They have the ability to generate a “virtual museum” which can be accessed through a multitude of pathways.  Whether categorically (by country, artist, writer, scientist) or chronologically, each viewer has the potential to access the information via a variety of different avenues.

Ilana Snyder from Monash University had a bit say on why our culture is moving from narrative in the direction of databases.  The work here echoes what Lev Manovich says about it, but gives you yet another few more explanations as to why and how the shift is moving.

New Media and Cultural Form: Narrative versus Database – Ilana Snyder

The Database Logic by Lev Manovich

In contrast, good old narrative only gives the viewer one road to information!  Therefore, one of the most attractive features of databases is that they give choice and power to whoever is driving the device in terms of how they want to access and understand imagery, information and communication.  Databases and CDROMS can be considered fertile and changeable, as they soak up and order information in a way that narratives would struggle or fail to do.

This week’s symposium particularly attracted my attention. We discussed the concept of mob behaviour, and the power it has over our societies in understanding collective networks.

When we observe mob behaviour, we also often analyse the pack mentality. It is incredible how, when in a collective, larger group, an individual’s behaviour may be altered directly and dramatically. This is where we run into mobs or groups acting out in their respective communities and it being picked up on!

Adventure Time gets chaotic. Pack mentality takes over.

Lumpy Space Princess
Adventure Time

Duncan Watts asks us to reflect on individual behaviour and to think about how it cultivates and links to collective behaviour.

The notion of the pack mentality constitutes a ‘synchronised state’, where the actions and behaviours of many individuals aggregate to a group behaviour. Where individuals abilities and ideals are more closely aligned and they begin their behaviour together, the more likely they are to remain synchronized. This is generally not affected by the way in which individuals group or couple. Essentially, the pack mentality provides a stronger force than individual or couple behaviours.

If their distribution of abilities is great, such as in the final sprint of a ten-thousand-meter race, then no matter how much they want to stay together, the pack will disintegrate and synchrony will be lost.

Acting Out

As simple a model as this is, it turns out to be a nice representation of many interesting systems in biology, ranging from pacemaker cells to fireflies flashing to crickets chirping. Strogatz also studied the mathematics of physical systems, like arrays of super-conducting Josephson junctions extremely fast switches that might one day form the basis of a new generation of computers. (pp. 32-33.)

Duncan also puts this question to us: How is it that assembling a large collection of components into a system results in something altogether different from just a disassociated collection of components?

When we’re in a group, our behaviour from stray so far from where we would otherwise be as an individual. This can happen online too. We can see many examples of pack mentality – the most recent being the ALS ice bucket challenge. In the end, there were many people who didn’t even know why they were doing it – they just were… because EVERYBODY ELSE WAS.

After reflecting on this week’s reading from Duncan J. Watts, I got to thinking… How connected are we?  Which networks am I a part of and how do they survive and thrive?  How does the behaviour of individuals aggregate to a collective behaviour?  And, just like power and transport networks, how do the social networks deal with a failure in the system?  How do they resume their place in society?  At what stage is the evolution of networks too advanced… or can they be too advanced?  And, when is too much technology too much?

Some would argue that as long as something is changing in a way that assists us, it is evolving.  I would argue that we are heading in an astronically technological direction, where our otherwise tangible networks are being virtual.  In this sense, is there a point where inventiveness is excessive?
Watts argues that “no amount of inventiveness or energy is excessive if it results in the creation of leisure, the increase of personal freedom or the provision of physical comfort”.  But, at the point where we are couch potatos sitting idly with phones glued to our palms with supposed networks at our fingertips, are we really taking part in networks?  Or, is this taking part?

Technology is the produce of a “relentless engine of civilization”, constantly searching for meaning, for innovative solutions to everyday tasks, and for efficiency.

The power system is said to be the most critical resource in the world today.  It enables the use of things like aircon, computers, phones, power tools and television.

Watts says that “electricity is a fact of life so basic that we cannot imagine being without it”.  In the morning when I get ready, I wake up to an alarm set on my iPhone, run a hot shower (made hot with an electric water heater), put on my clothes, eat breakfast (toast from an electric toaster because I don’t like cereal) and grab my charged phone, charged iPod and my phone charger and set off to work.  Even stripping my day down the basic movements during morning, the steps I take to get ready, the things I put in my handbag… electricity is present in almost all of these steps.

Watts also said that “if we are forced to [be with out electricity], it can be so tremendously destructive [that we act] in the most primal fashion”.

The other day, I was sitting on the train, when a particularly frantic woman got on.  She threw her bags down and began pulling her bag apart looking for something.  She was breathing aggressively and stomped her feet loudly, muttering a series of swear words under her breath and began hyperventilating.  Confused, I looked away to try and give her some privacy.  But, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her pull a small black item from her bag which she clutched so tightly I thought she’d break its screen.  She sat back, her bag’s contents splayed around her and nestled her smart phone.

WOW.  And, you don’t call that primal?  Tell me we’re not going too far again.  I dare you.

Studies have shown that through our ability to remember tasks and facts with our original network carriers (our brains) are being replaced by phones.