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The Change -- An Introduction (with a recent essay by H. G. Wells) |
Clearly the rate of change, already faster than at any previous moment in recorded history, is accelerating. This phenomenon is usually attributed to technological forces -- forces both arising from and contributing to the development of increasingly sophisticated communications capabilities. Over a great reach of time this has included the development of writing, the use of first papyrus and then paper, the invention of the printing press, and then, at increasingly shorter intervals, the appearance of newer and faster means of communication through which the distribution of information has become virtually instantaneous. Each new development enables human thought and expression to reach a greater audience as ideas travel farther and faster, and the resulting changes in society cause yet further changes, in a quickening chain reaction. Already, some wonder if this isn’t a bit like the calculus, with all of humanity racing towards some unfathomable limit -- perhaps a kind of critical mass. Usually, too, this is seen strictly as a set of related events occurring externally -- that is, these things seem to be happening entirely outside of ourselves (beyond our control and with great impact on our lives), according to their own inscrutable laws and logic. |
Others, however, see this process quite differently. For them, accelerating changes in the external or sensory world are a reflection of inner changes in consciousness, perhaps neurological in nature.
RealityTest combines both of these concepts into one, calling it simply The Change. We will probe the nature of The Change and its impact upon society and industry, beginning with an examination of media businesses built around moving images, including the film and television industries and the emerging area of Internet Video. (Note to readers: In line with RealityTest's changed focus, many of the pages connected with this earlier exploration are no longer part of this site.)