Information is Free
Posted by Christopher Markman
...In response to Meredith Farkas recent post Value in the online world
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Though the mechanics which surround and indeed engulf the reproduction of information are not free, information itself is free. It is the ability to affect the lives of others through pure thought alone which elevates the artist (in the medium-neutral sense of the word) above others -- we don't measure an EEG in kilowatt/hours. Nature is a social entity, an interaction of forces, and to no higher degree of value can information achieve than in the alteration of human consciousness and the betterment of society as a whole.
Information must compete for our attention, we privileg some forms over others. From this was can then sort thought into two categories, ideas worth spreading, and everything else. In a sense, it is able to spread itself in the same way even the smallest life form is a self-evolving, self-propagating entity. If an idea is able to fulfill these goals, then monetary compensation should then ... more »
Posted: July 10, 2008 2:57 pm | 0 comments
Tags: digital culture, mass media, publishing