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My acceptance of Facebook’s new timeline format has prompted me to write about something I’ve been thinking about for years; that is the effect that recording ourselves has upon us and our society.

We may think of technology as things such as computers, smartphones, digital cameras and maybe we even think of things such as phonographs. Yet, we probably don’t think of written language, or pen, ink and paper as technology, but even these are technologies that have enabled humans to record information about themselves. Now that I think about it even such things as architecture and sculpture are technologies that enable humans to record their accomplishments. But, that sort of thing was usually reserved for the likes of kings and pharaohs. The written word allowed more men to leave their mark on history, but history makers were still usually kings, generals, prophets and philosophers. The printing press, which drastically reduced the cost of writing and producing books, made it possible for more people to have their names, thoughts and deeds recorded. What did these technologies do to our society? They enabled men to “leave their mark” on history. How different would men act if their actions could not be recorded in history books, or exhibited by a monument? We can’t know, but I know that I am personally driven by an ambition to make some sort of impact upon this world. My faith tells me that those things I do which have an eternal impact are what really matters, but I can’t help but desire temporal fame.

Cameras are another technology that have certainly had a huge impact upon our society for good and bad. One positive impact cameras have had on our society is that they have helped raise our awareness of what is going on in the world outside of our daily experience. This has made us more sensitive to problems in our world, and has helped move people to act. A negative impact cameras have had on our society is that they have at times made us more concerned with how things appear rather than how they actually are. Take weddings, for example. It is obvious that many, if not most people are more concerned with their wedding looking good, rather than actually being a wonderful day that was enjoyable. If there were no pictures, but only memories, what would we no longer care about?

What impact has the recording of music had on our culture? Our folk culture has been nearly destroyed, replaced by a pop-culture. It used to be if you wanted to listen to music, you or someone you knew had to make it. Local musicians would regularly perform at barn dances and such. These gatherings had a significant impact upon the community. Even rich people, who had the luxury of going to professional music performances, still regularly learned to play music and sing so that they could entertain themselves at home. It is true that over the last couple of decades alternative music cultures have created an environment where more and more young people are learning how to play instruments and there is a lot of live music to experience in bigger cities. And, there are more people these days who are not content to sit back and watch a show, but long and push for greater participation in their experience of the arts. But, the damage is done, though I don’t think it is irreparable.

Audio-visual recording has in general created a culture in which the entertainment industry, in which I include such things as sports, has grown into one of the biggest industries in the western world. And, artist and producers are some of the highest paid people in our society. This has strengthened the consumer nature of our society, as opposed to a creative and participating society. It has also made us a people who expect everything to be entertaining and easy to consume. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with enjoying some entertainment, but is to say it is having some negative effects.

And now we live in a world where we westerners can practically record every moment and every thought we have. With Facebook timeline each of us can be our own personal historian. We can write the book on our own life, recording a level of detail that may be a little too much. What’s this going to do to us? In Cosette’s two short years Jessi and I have taken a couple thousand pictures of her. We risk being overwhelmed by information. The result of a glut of information is the same as a lack of information.