The (Dis)information Age: The Persistence of Ignorance

219 Pages·2012·1.834 MB·English

by  Shaheed Nick Mohammed

Mohammed hardcover DD:Layout 1 11/17/2011 11:25 AM Page 1
The (Dis)information Agechallenges prevailing notions about the impact of new informa- 79
tion and media technologies. The widespread acceptance of ideas about the socially trans-
formative power of these technologies demands a close and critical interrogation. The
technologies of the information revolution, often perceived as harbingers of social trans- M
formation, may more appropriately be viewed as tools, capable of positive and negative O
uses. This book encourages a more rational and even skeptical approach to the claims of H
A
the information revolution and demonstrates that, despite a wealth of information, igno-
M
rance persists and even thrives. As the volume of information available to us increases,
M
our ability to process and evaluate that information diminishes, rendering us, at times, less
E
informed. Despite the assumed globalization potential of new information technologies,
D
users of global media such as the World Wide Web and Facebook tend to cluster locally
around their own communities of interest and even around traditional communities of
geography, nationalism, and heritage. Thus new media technologies may contribute to
ignorance about various “others” and, in this and many other ways, contribute to the per-
sistence of ignorance.
“In this interesting and well-written book Shaheed Nick Mohammed does a masterful job
(
of illustrating the effects of communications technology on global society using sources D
T
from scientific research to pop culture. This informative and entertaining work examines H
i
how media technology has been used to spread ignorance instead of knowledge, from sE
)
unchecked bigotry to misinformation on climate change and autism. The ubiquitous influ- i
n
ence and power of media technology makes this essential reading, especially for students
f
o
of communication, sociology, and political science.”—Matt Evans, Assistant Professor,
r
Political Science, Penn State University
m
“Highlighting the irony of an Information Age in which falsehoods, superstition, and a
t
ignorance are now easier to disseminate, Shaheed Nick Mohammed makes a wide-ranging i
o
and insightful analysis of the ill-effects of communications technology and a media culture
n
which is unfettered by the rigor of reason and the filter of empiricism.”—Kevin

Baldeosingh, Author of The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar A
g
“Dr. Mohammed brings a deep and thoughtful analysis to something that surrounds us e
all—but for which we have few reference points—the information explosion. A must-read
for any critical thinker who is trying to understand our mass mediated environment.”
—Alex Gill, CEO of Mendicant Group, Author ofAIM: Achieve, Inspire, Make a Difference
SHAHEED NICK MOHAMMED, Associate Professor of Communications at Penn State
Altoona, earned his doctorate from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. He is
the author of Communication and the Globalization of Culture: Beyond Tradition and
Borders(2011).
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
WWW.PETERLANG.COM
Mohammed hardcover DD:Layout 1 11/17/2011 11:25 AM Page 1
The (Dis)information Agechallenges prevailing notions about the impact of new informa- 79
tion and media technologies. The widespread acceptance of ideas about the socially trans-
formative power of these technologies demands a close and critical interrogation. The
technologies of the information revolution, often perceived as harbingers of social trans- M
formation, may more appropriately be viewed as tools, capable of positive and negative O
uses. This book encourages a more rational and even skeptical approach to the claims of H
A
the information revolution and demonstrates that, despite a wealth of information, igno-
M
rance persists and even thrives. As the volume of information available to us increases,
M
our ability to process and evaluate that information diminishes, rendering us, at times, less
E
informed. Despite the assumed globalization potential of new information technologies,
D
users of global media such as the World Wide Web and Facebook tend to cluster locally
around their own communities of interest and even around traditional communities of
geography, nationalism, and heritage. Thus new media technologies may contribute to
ignorance about various “others” and, in this and many other ways, contribute to the per-
sistence of ignorance.
“In this interesting and well-written book Shaheed Nick Mohammed does a masterful job
(
of illustrating the effects of communications technology on global society using sources D
T
from scientific research to pop culture. This informative and entertaining work examines H
i
how media technology has been used to spread ignorance instead of knowledge, from sE
)
unchecked bigotry to misinformation on climate change and autism. The ubiquitous influ- i
n
ence and power of media technology makes this essential reading, especially for students
f
o
of communication, sociology, and political science.”—Matt Evans, Assistant Professor,
r
Political Science, Penn State University
m
“Highlighting the irony of an Information Age in which falsehoods, superstition, and a
t
ignorance are now easier to disseminate, Shaheed Nick Mohammed makes a wide-ranging i
o
and insightful analysis of the ill-effects of communications technology and a media culture
n
which is unfettered by the rigor of reason and the filter of empiricism.”—Kevin

Baldeosingh, Author of The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar A
g
“Dr. Mohammed brings a deep and thoughtful analysis to something that surrounds us e
all—but for which we have few reference points—the information explosion. A must-read
for any critical thinker who is trying to understand our mass mediated environment.”
—Alex Gill, CEO of Mendicant Group, Author ofAIM: Achieve, Inspire, Make a Difference
SHAHEED NICK MOHAMMED, Associate Professor of Communications at Penn State
Altoona, earned his doctorate from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. He is
the author of Communication and the Globalization of Culture: Beyond Tradition and
Borders(2011).
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
WWW.PETERLANG.COM

Steve Jones
General Editor
Vol. 79

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mohammed, S. Nick.
The (dis)information age: the persistence of ignorance /
Shaheed Nick Mohammed.
p. cm. — (Digital formations; v. 79)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Information society. 2. Ignorance (Theory of knowledge).
3. Disinformation. 4. Propaganda. 5. Information technology—
Social aspects. 6. Communication.
I. Title.
HM851.M64 303.48’33—dc23 2011046450
ISBN 978-1-4331-1502-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-0534-0 (e-book)
ISSN 1526-3169

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Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. vii
Preface .................................................................................................................. ix

1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1
2 Ignorance in Context .................................................................................... 3
3 The Information Age in Perspective ........................................................... 25
4 Information Age Paradoxes ......................................................................... 49
5 Media and Ignorance .................................................................................. 67
6 Disinformation, Propaganda and Video Games ........................................ 87
7 Ignorance Is Good Business ...................................................................... 109
8 Information Age Journalism and Ignorance ............................................ 135
9 Social Media, Disinformation and Ignorance .......................................... 147
10 Reasons for Hope ...................................................................................... 161
Epilogue: The End of the World ..................................................................... 173

Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 177
Index ................................................................................................................. 203

Acknowledgments
All scholarly work is inevitably indebted to the works that have preceded them.
The present book is no exception. Many pioneers of Information Age analysis
have crafted invaluable conceptual structures upon which our understandings
of the present age depend. At the outset the author acknowledge the debt of
gratitude we all owe to these many great scholars.

The author would also like to thank the series editor, Professor Steve Jones,
for his important guidance in development of the final manuscript.