Information Gluttony and Obesity of the Mind

de·ter·min·ism (d-tûrm-nzm) n.

The philosophical doctrine that every state of affairs, including every human event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedent states of affairs.

technological determinism:

The notion that technology is an autonomous and driving force in structuring society or elements of society.

technological imperative:

The perspective or way of thinking, often said to be typical of Western thought and Western society, that priveleges the conceptualization and development of technology and favours the application of technology once it is developed; it perceives technology as a social force.

The cohort is in the midst of writing midterms, and even though my workload is signficantly less than it was in previous programs my body cannot distinguish the difference. So, as was typical for me during my busier student days I am experiencing a little insomnia and have spent several nights awake when it seems that the rest of the city is slumbering in their beds. I've often considered what keeps me awake at the wee hours of the morning. Is it something I ate... something that I thought? Was it the chicken... or was it McLuhan? What leaves me in this frenzied state where I can't fall asleep... can't stay asleep, and generally don't sleep at all? And what the hell does McLuhan have to do with my sleeping patterns?

(For the purposes of this post, I am going to choose to ignore all of the arguments against technological determinism and leap from the compact definition borrowed from our good friends Lorimer and Gasher)

What do we mean when we call someone determined? Usually, one would think, that person is resolute and consistently working towards a goal. The nature of his or her goal (that is whether we think the outcome is positive or negative) plays an integral role in our perception of this determination as good or bad. When we speak of technological determinism, we also apply similar rules of understanding. For example, McLuhan's prediction of media's transformation of society sparks many debates as to the positive and negative (and all the areas in between) aspects of this so-called deterministic change.

We live in what has been called an information glut. New technologies have much to do with this, especially the internet through which for relatively little cost and little effort people are able to share information. Additionally, more and more books are being published... we have hundreds of televison channels to choose from... and we are bombarded with billboards, posters, and ads on the sides of buildings, buses, roadsides... almost everywhere we look.

Drawing from these principles that determinism can have both positive and negative connotations and that we are surrounded by information, I am going to argue something slightly different. May I be so bold as to suggest another type of deterministic behaviour exists... that of educational determinism?

To be completely introspective, I have frequently contemplated what is my primary driving force and I am almost always returned to the fabled quest for knowledge. Like a toddler, my favourite question is why... but thankfully my range of questions has become far more critical (I should hope). I seem to be incapable of shutting off or ignoring this insatiable hunger. One should think then that I am out rejoicing in the streets during this age of the information glut. Unfortunately this is not the case... I have some serious concerns... I have a serious problem. My mind is obese.

My pursuit of knowledge (what some might call Life-Long-Learning, a term that I have shed for the more elitist educational determinism) has taken control over my life. Not only is it forcing enormous financial debt on my shoulders and causing insomnia... but it is also shaping my thoughts and ideas. Education has become the powerful driving force in my life and has contributed to the structure of my ideals and elements of my personality. It has also made me into a fathead.

Now it's hard enough to change one's physical diet, let alone an intellectual one. I just can't stop consuming this stuff. I've tried to take the suggestions of health practitioners who advise that we try to moderate our diet, applying their ideas to what I pile on my intellectual plate. I tried to increase my roughage (fibre) intake. It wasn't successful. Reality television, trash novels, tabloids, celebrity magazines were just like eating celery... tasteless and requiring more energy to process than it did to consume. It left me feeling empty. Give me my high calorie ideas any day. Far more satisfying...

I'm still concerned though. I think people need to know about this growing trend of information gluttony and obesity of the mind. Documentaries seem to be the thing to do these days, so I'm going to make a film called Overeducate Me and go across Canada, interview experts on the effects of education and try every course that is offered at a university at least once. My mind will continue to become obese, but it will be in the name of social responsibility. This film might wake people up a bit... it might change the nature of our educational system, encouraging schools to offer lighter fare on their educational menus. You see, then people would have more choice. The mind obesity rate would go down significantly, and I might be able to sleep again.

This might be the information glut but it is also the age where the distinction between fathead and bonehead was never so clear.