Interesting distinction between artifacts vs ephemera and the “uncanny valley of hyperreality”. I had a similar reaction to the Alexis tweet. In that limited form it seems harmless and is very valuable for him. But the implications of what that could mean in the future, the ways old video and images could be manipulated, fictional scenes from the past could be spun up in no time. Makes my head spin a bit
In the past, we could control how we wished to present ourselves; we had the ability to tell someone what we wanted them to know and to simply not discuss what we did not.
Now, although we may have moved on from our pasts, we have no ability to delete or edit.
Even though our minds and actions may have changed, the digital age forces us to drag our pasts with us, like Marley's ghost in A Christmas Carol dragging the chains and money boxes from his past life.
Jeff, your essay reminds me of a semi-dystopian series that first hit the TV screens about 12 years ago: "Person of Interest." It's about the ramifications of a super sophisticated digital machine that sees – and tracks – *everyone* the vast majority of the time. I initially balked at the feasibility of this, but a good friend showed me how it's really happening in 2025.
In any event, I don't know if there's an answer to all of this *permanent* data gathering. It's quite disturbing. Still, we need to be reminded of the potential fallout from this. Thank you for doing so.
It seemed so utterly ridiculous, especially for 2012, and I blew it off after the first episode. Then a good friend, a guy with some high-level contacts, referred me to a clip called "The Real Person of Interest." That turned me around. Still, some of the plot lines are pretty silly -- but that's when I engage what's known as the "suspension of disbelief."
One of my friends, Rachel Ip, is a children’s author and she writes about the tougher subjects like war or Alzheimer’s. Her book, The Forgettery, is about the latter.
Sometimes we don’t want to forget, but have no choice.
The forgetting you talk about is so important to remember to value and to preserve.
Attitudes on digital memory and data ownership seem to break along generational lines. Older people start with a perspective that all personal data is just that, unless persmission is granted to another person or entity. Youger people have no expectation of digital privacy.
Fun question to ponder: if congress passed a bill demanding XYZ category of user data to be deleted, what would happen? Modifying the weights of a trained LLM or search function can be nontrivial. Would trust decline even further on dating apps if you couldn’t google someone for red flags? Would it even be constitutional to mandate a buyback option for user data/metadata retroactively with the 5th amendment applying?
Interesting distinction between artifacts vs ephemera and the “uncanny valley of hyperreality”. I had a similar reaction to the Alexis tweet. In that limited form it seems harmless and is very valuable for him. But the implications of what that could mean in the future, the ways old video and images could be manipulated, fictional scenes from the past could be spun up in no time. Makes my head spin a bit
Absolutely. Same reaction. It's partly what inspired this piece, this idea of forgetting as a way to protect what's sacred.
Do we have any right to reinvention, at least consistent with our biological neuroplasticity?
Should we have some ability to write our own narratives?
I'm not sure what you mean
In the past, we could control how we wished to present ourselves; we had the ability to tell someone what we wanted them to know and to simply not discuss what we did not.
Now, although we may have moved on from our pasts, we have no ability to delete or edit.
Even though our minds and actions may have changed, the digital age forces us to drag our pasts with us, like Marley's ghost in A Christmas Carol dragging the chains and money boxes from his past life.
Exactly
…if we don’t own our online self then what value is there to having one…
So true.... Thanks again for the feedback and headline!
Jeff, your essay reminds me of a semi-dystopian series that first hit the TV screens about 12 years ago: "Person of Interest." It's about the ramifications of a super sophisticated digital machine that sees – and tracks – *everyone* the vast majority of the time. I initially balked at the feasibility of this, but a good friend showed me how it's really happening in 2025.
In any event, I don't know if there's an answer to all of this *permanent* data gathering. It's quite disturbing. Still, we need to be reminded of the potential fallout from this. Thank you for doing so.
Thanks Larry. I remember that show but was never into it. I may have to go back and check it out.
It seemed so utterly ridiculous, especially for 2012, and I blew it off after the first episode. Then a good friend, a guy with some high-level contacts, referred me to a clip called "The Real Person of Interest." That turned me around. Still, some of the plot lines are pretty silly -- but that's when I engage what's known as the "suspension of disbelief."
This is indeed the point.
One of my friends, Rachel Ip, is a children’s author and she writes about the tougher subjects like war or Alzheimer’s. Her book, The Forgettery, is about the latter.
Sometimes we don’t want to forget, but have no choice.
The forgetting you talk about is so important to remember to value and to preserve.
Wow Eric, I'm glad you connected these issues. I'll check out "The Forgettery."
Attitudes on digital memory and data ownership seem to break along generational lines. Older people start with a perspective that all personal data is just that, unless persmission is granted to another person or entity. Youger people have no expectation of digital privacy.
True, though it feels more like capitulation with the young. They don’t have much choice in the matter.
Fun question to ponder: if congress passed a bill demanding XYZ category of user data to be deleted, what would happen? Modifying the weights of a trained LLM or search function can be nontrivial. Would trust decline even further on dating apps if you couldn’t google someone for red flags? Would it even be constitutional to mandate a buyback option for user data/metadata retroactively with the 5th amendment applying?