*** This is an academic paper from my undergrad days. The world of critical theory is rife with pretense and esoteric writing. I am proud that I was able to sift through illegible prose in order to pinpoint and translate interesting theories on human culture into something the average student can understand.
The Acceleration of Information and Resultant Short Circuits
Bernard Stiegler has, for some time, been very interested in the course of human consciousness and its collective development. Building on the principles of Plato, Derrida, Freud, and other philosophers, he has refined a concept that investigates how human society advances itself through a collective perception and evaluation of principals and techniques that may help the world grow together. It is only recently that the “long circuits” that contributed to this growth have been neglected in favor of convenient “short circuits.” These short circuits serve as temporary solutions to current and future crises plaguing society. Such temporary solutions may be attributed to such twentieth century catastrophes such as The Great Depression, and both World Wars. The current cultural transformation we have experienced in the last thirty years is a combination of the speed of information flow, and the capitalists that took advantage of this, reducing the political process to marketing campaigns. This has created a culture of short-term gains and impulsiveness, which leaves people distrusting of everyone around them. This distrust means that people are not working collectively, and therefore are not establishing the long-circuits that helps humans to learn from each other through time. These short-circuits prevent us from questioning the value of humanity as a whole.
At the base of Stiegler’s writing is the pharmakon, which is a vital component in human development. As he states in his introduction, something as simple as a teddy bear is a pharmakon (Stiegler 2013, 1). It connects a child to their family (when they are absent), and ultimately reinforces a feeling of security, while also instilling a feeling of purpose in life. After a certain point in the child’s development, a child is supposed to move on from such tokens of fulfillment in order to become a well-adjusted individual, able to fulfill unique aspirations of their own (Stiegler 2013, 3). What in part makes a teddy bear a pharmakon is the potential for something helpful to become hurtful in certain circumstances (Stiegler 2013, 4). A child may find it difficult to let go of their favorite toy, and as a result become unable to mature. The pharmakon is only beneficial when utilized in moderation. The teddy bear is an excellent example of a “transitional object,” as it allows a child to express their emotions and imagination to something, unprompted. Interactions with family will generally be initiated by the caregiver. The bear is “someone” the child can befriend, learn to love, and even bounce ideas off of outside the hemmed-in nature of their family. However, this attachment must fade away so that child may fulfill these desires on other people. In this way, pharmakons contribute to the process of transindividuation. This is the simultaneously individual and collective effort of all of society to absorb, develop, create, and share ideas and principles. These are recalled and evaluated, and eventually honed into “long circuits.” The “adoption” of a principle is a phase within this process, wherein that principle changes and solidifies itself (“meta-stabilizes”) (Stiegler 2013, 101).
What has changed in the twentieth century is the “proletarianization” of consumers, where society is neatly regulated by manipulating and exploiting its various wants and needs. Combined with the increased rate at which information can be accessed (in order to increase efficiency), “adoption” is replaced by “adaptation,” long circuits replaced by short circuits. The workforce is no longer “spiritually” involved with the capitalism it contributes to, and is rather given large amounts of easily digestible input, and therefore cannot process what they learn well enough to critique it. In turn, the construct of capitalism, an extension of humanity and its progress, has become in many ways automated. As for the workforce, there are “no longer workers of the ‘spirit of capitalism,’ but rather employees of a capitalism that has, precisely, lost its spirit, that is, its mind (Stiegler 2013, 102).
This has far-reaching consequences. Society, in part because of technology and this automated capitalism, has become disjointed, allowing individuals to more easily come to their own conclusions, without contributing back to the collective. The lack of restriction on our consumption of information hinders the human experience: we now think at the speed of digital technology (such as the internet) and are less likely to develop long-circuit principles. Short-circuit ideas are now beginning to replace those long-circuit conventions among individuals, contributing to factional behavior consisting of smaller noetic groups. There are answers or affirmations suitable for everyone. In turn, there can be no singular idea for all of society to support, and instead people form into smaller “tribes,” reinforcing their own ideas in a sort of short/long-circuit hybrid. To “adapt” rather than to “adopt” is to create or construct (with either credible or incredible information) a conscious assertion that strives to stand up to the contradictions of other collective consensi. Thanks to technological, industrial, and consumer structures, we have the liberty to establish these enclaves which suit the needs of an increasingly eclectic society. Stiegler points out the near impossibility of humanity defining what constitutes the nature of itself and its existence. It therefore stands to reason that we are not yet “post-human,” but rather have never mastered the human stage of development (Stiegler 2013, 104). Indeed, post-humanism to Stiegler is a “short-circuit” in itself, built upon recent developments without consulting the holistic journey of humanity (Stiegler 2013, 112). We have been, according to Stiegler, unable to establish a singular definition of humanity. Perhaps there simply is not one definition of humanity. Rather, it is defined by the separate self-images of each respective person as a whole. Compared to the long-circuit, short-circuit thoughts are an adaptation to cope with the increased rate at which information disseminates. When the subjectivity of human existence meets with the proliferation of information, it presents the possibility of dissolution.
Ultimately, the ability of humans to question their own existence and their meaning to live is gravely hindered through this adaptation (Stiegler 2013, 105). Society can no longer stop to reflect on the direction it is going, and what the implications of its latest developments are. Rather, it can only adjust to what developments are currently present. This prevents people from individuating, and in turn societal transindividuation is severely altered. Stiegler even states in this new world of short circuits that the pharmakon itself has become a producer of short circuits (Stiegler 2013, 106). Without this ability to call things into question, humanity loses its ability view life as “worth living.” There can be seen no higher purpose to making the necessary contributions that allow the world’s societies to grow and develop.
Possibly the most significant pharmakon in human history is that of the proliferation of information. Access to so much knowledge (especially via the internet) is by far one of the greatest boons to society of all time. It is now possible for anyone to learn new techniques and perspectives instantly, which is an extremely empowering notion. Unfortunately, such a powerful remedy can be extremely intoxicating. The economic powers of capitalism are benefited by the mass confusion of so many voices that differ in tone and opinion, and have even worked to exacerbate the situation. Much like the teddy bears and toys of children, there must be some responsibility instilled in future generations in order to curb the glut of too much information, and allow future society to discern what is truly valuable to humanity as a whole.
