I’m a big culprit of ignorance in an age of Wikipedia. For me it’s too much of an open invitation to indulge in highlight culture, giving me only the necessary fuel to read books that can’t be summarized by Wiki’s meritocratic article compilation. Perhaps Chris’ Gladwell post sits in agreement with me.
So I am intrigued to work on the 2008 National Year of Reading campaign which aims to engage the younger generation by welcoming any form of reading – offline and online. I may be too old to be in the target demographic but perhaps I’m in the ideal position testify how important it is for the future that an entertaining Web 2.0 successfully embraces (not opposes) offline and online reading for an infotained public. McQuail’s uses and grats coins this as cognitive needs.
I can also testify that my younger sister spends 43204834309 hours on social media – YouTube, Bebo and Facebook – the latter of which the topics of discussion I’m constantly reminded of via a newsfeed. Unfortunately as the fabric of social network discussion revolves around events or people the platform does not necessitate too much reading. However, optimism must be expressed when the architecture for participation on social networking sites is the the wall – a perfect basis to share information as well as entertainment.
Name the Greek philosopher who once said:
“Great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about events, and small minds talk about people”
(Yet when someone mentions this quote to me I can’t help but think the presupposition of the philosopher was one of big head and not great mind.)
What I really like about the National Year of Reading’s online campaign is that it uses video dares over YouTube as entertainment, to incite information retrieval in the form of reading – and then uses a YouTube channel wall as the voice or participation platform.
The online campaign targets 1-14 year old boys who have become disengaged with reading in school. Running until Christmas, the campaign aims to creatively engage with the target group by tapping into
their online habits. The press release stresses multiple values such a program instills into communities and reads: “The year aims to encourage people to read in businesses, homes, and communities around the country, providing new opportunities to read and helping people to access help and support through schools and libraries” — but i’ll leave you with a quote on why this as a Government initiative is also a great democratic process:
“A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.” -
– James Madison
The ultimate dare of the campaign is to read – do it, DO IT NOW! (your Governor needs YOU!)
