Mander:

I was struck by his idea that we are "substituting mediated experiences for direct experience".  It's amazing to me that In the Absence of the Sacred was published in 1991, just as online personnas and experiences were starting to emerge.  Think of what has happened since then...Wii, Kinect, Sims, Second Life, (not to mention all the online dating) etc. etc.  I think he was envisioning a future in much the same way that McLuhan was, but he seems to emphasize more of the psychological and cultural impacts of this 'hollowing-out' of society. His more recent predictions about a global 'mono-culture' are being validated everyday as we see McDonald's, KFC's and the Gap popping up all over the world.  Particularly troubling is their infiltration into very different societies in Asia, Africa and India, often replacing long-standing local values and ethnic food with a new appetite for American culture.   What will be lost??? I think this is what I really appreciate about Mander - his respect for indigenous peoples.  While other authors we have read have warned us about the dangers of technology, Mander takes this further by offering concrete suggestions about alternative ways of looking at the world we want to create and returning to the values of native peoples.  Turkle's current research supports many of Mander's earlier 'warnings' and predictions.  Perhaps the "Occupy Wall Street" grass roots movement is a response to some of Mander's concerns about corporations and globalization.

In reading and listening to some of Mander's ideas, I had a new appreciation for why I enjoy camping with my family.  The opportunity to be 'cut-off' from technology and to enjoy and appreciate nature is a fantastic experience.  The simple joy of setting-up a shelter/tent, collecting firewood, preparing and cooking a meal together and a whole evening of sitting around the campfire talking.   I do feel connected back to the earth in some way when we participate in these activities, although I don't pretend to imply that the limited (and comfortable) ways we interact with the earth are similar to the ways of native peoples. So why don't we do it more often?