I call this piece ‘Phonebook Archives- Volume 1’.
How many people continue to use phone books? What about encyclopedias? What about dictionaries? What is the purpose of having these tools in our homes when they remain stagnant and unused the majority of the time? We all utilize search engines on our computers and phones in order to answer all of life’s questions. How much information are our brains actually retaining currently? How many people have lost all sense of direction due to the use of GPS devices?
I only ask these questions because I am somewhat self-critical in these areas. However, I know that I am simply moving with the trends of our culture and that my brain is not being short-changed as it is simply developing other tools.
Many of the tools that we have used for several decades, if not more, are going extinct. I struggle with this because I am so attached to the aesthetic of so many of these items. This also applies to the music industry. It is obvious that the ways in which music is being shared are rapidly shifting. In odd ways it is becoming more of an organic process spurned through technological devices. We are capable of hearing whatever we want at any time to the point where we are incapable of knowing what we want.
If you are interested in this subject, you can read Bob Lefsetz‘s blog or Derek Sivers‘ blog on Seth Godin‘s new book Linchpin which we’ll be reading over the next few weeks.