Tag Archives: Program or be

Rushkoff’s Commands

@starlingpreston

Rushkoff’s last four commands consist of social, fact, openness, and purpose. The Social Command states, “digital networks are biased towards social connections-towards contact” (99). Therefore, those living without computers are not privy towards this bias. Seeing as this social command emphasizes content and turning friends into a legal setting that makes connections into profit, those without computers are more inclined to see their friends and networks in a non-content view (Rushkoff 99). They see them as people, not profit. The Fact Command looks at how ideas are spread socially, that the most popular ideas are replicated and passed on (Rusfkoff 108). However, “memes” can often be false information that has been misinterpreted and spread (108). Therefore, those without computers are not subject to the false information that is spread via social networks. However, these memes do allow people to connect and spread ideas on a global scale. Rushkoff’s ninth command, Openness, states that digital technology’s resources are “biased towards openness” (121). The line between sharing media on the Internet and stealing ideas becomes blurred. However, a computer does allow for users to share original ideas (such as memes) that can be built upon, one such example is Wikipedia. The tenth command, Purpose, is biased towards those who program or write code (Rushkoff 134). If a person is not programming they risk becoming programmed. Yet, a person without a computer can do neither. Lack of interfacing with technology neither hinders their chances of programming nor increases their chance of becoming programmed.