IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2015 - 24

year's Norbert Wiener Conference in Boston: "if you
have eyes trained to think
about how a system functions, you see that we're dismantling living systems."
The communications
theorist Marshall McLuhan, clearly inf luenced
by Wiener's work, speaks
of media extending the
human ner vous system Mary Catherine Bateson in an interview from the
into its environment in the 2014 Norbert Wiener Conference in Boston.
electric age. This extension
of electronic media into the
human domain causes unintended
control over the rest of the human
consequences, and creates specifrace" [5, p. 181].
ic and new kinds of challenges for
Our story does not argue that
humanity. As for a name for this
we are now slaves of the "World
problem that has been created,
State" predicted by Aldous Huxley in
like pornography, it may be easier
his book, "Brave New World." Howto recognize than define. Perhaps
ever, our evolving globalized comthere are multiple "problems" at
munications system offers striking
hand. McLuhan in his work often
parallels to what Huxley portrayed.
uses the term information overload
By the ending of our documenta[4]. Contemporary writers refer to
ry, The System, it should be obviinformation addiction. The term
ous that we have become slaves to
"information disease" is also being
our machines of convenience and
discussed in scientific and medical
a business that exacts an unsusjournals around the world.
tainable price for its "free services."
However, as our story develops,
As world-renowned security expert
it becomes clear that whatever one
Bruce Schneier explains on-camera,
wants to call it, something is hapwe are at a turning point. Our conpening to us, and that 24/7 we are
suming habits are commoditized
all being fed (and feed each other),
and sold, and our every movement
information at the speed of light,
is tracked and stored. He argues we
fueled and connected by unconneed to let go of our fears and value
scious but highly capable AI and
our privacy before it is too late.
squadrons of specialized human
As Wiener puts it, "we have modhandlers who are highly paid. We,
ified our environment so radically
the human users of this Internetthat we must now modify ourselves
worked connected system seem to
in order to exist in this new environbe happily going along, assisting it to
ment. We can no longer live in the
efficiently achieve its sub-objectives;
old one. Progress imposes not only
marketing, intelligence gathering, and
new possibilities for the future...
political control... oblivious to the
but new restrictions" [5, p. 46].
human ecological consequences.
As authors Conway and SiegelWiener had it pegged back in 1950
man told me recently, "the enemy,
when he explained: "machines,
in the end is not a system or superthough helpless by themselves, may
system, not some unseen overlord,
be used by a human being or a block
overmind, or matrix, nor some
of human beings to increase their
unnamed cabal of politicians of

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

any party or ideology, faceless bureaucrats of any
government, or even money-mad billionaire 'industrialists,' as Wiener called
them, techies, bankers, oligarchs or robber barons. As
that great folk philosopher
Walt Kelly said via Pogo:
'We have met the enemy,
and he is us!' All of us.
Each of us. And the only
solution is for each of us,
and all of us together, to
think long and hard about
the problems breaking all around
us, and inside us, and resolve to
save the planet and, at the same
time, to save ourselves." Our documentary, The System, intends to
encourage us to do just that.
As this publication goes to print,
we have launched a KickStarter
campaign here: http://norbertwiener.com/. We are reaching out to
you for support as our IEEESSIT
friends, to help us get the Norbert
Wiener Media Project to the next
phase. We hope you will join us on
this journey.

Author Information
J. Mitchell Johnson is a filmmaker
with Abamedia, LP (http://abamedia.
com/). Email: jmj@abamedia.com.

References

[1] F. Conway and J. Siegelman, Dark Hero
of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Wiener, the Father of Cybernetics.
New York, NY: Basic, 2006.
[2] R. Cellan-Jones, "Stephen Hawking
warns artificial intelligence could end mankind," BBC News, Dec. 2, 2014; http://www.
bbc.com/news/technology-30290540.
[3] K. Rawlinson, "Microsoft's Bill Gates
insists AI is a threat", BBC News, Jan.
29,. 2015; http://www.bbc.com/news/
31047780.
[4] M. McLuhan, "The best of ideas," CBC
Radio, 1967.
[5] N. Wiener, The Human Use of Human
Beings: Cybernetics and Society. Boston,
MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1954, p. 181.

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september 2015

http://norbertwie http://www.ner.com/ http://abamedia http://www http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540 http://www.bbc.com/news/

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