Table Of ContentMohammed hardcover DD:Layout 1 11/17/2011 11:25 AM Page 1
The (Dis)information Agechallenges prevailing notions about the impact of new informa- 79
tion and media technologies. The widespread acceptance of ideas about the socially trans-
formative power of these technologies demands a close and critical interrogation. The
technologies of the information revolution, often perceived as harbingers of social trans- M
formation, may more appropriately be viewed as tools, capable of positive and negative O
uses. This book encourages a more rational and even skeptical approach to the claims of H
A
the information revolution and demonstrates that, despite a wealth of information, igno-
M
rance persists and even thrives. As the volume of information available to us increases,
M
our ability to process and evaluate that information diminishes, rendering us, at times, less
E
informed. Despite the assumed globalization potential of new information technologies,
D
users of global media such as the World Wide Web and Facebook tend to cluster locally
around their own communities of interest and even around traditional communities of
geography, nationalism, and heritage. Thus new media technologies may contribute to
ignorance about various “others” and, in this and many other ways, contribute to the per-
sistence of ignorance.
“In this interesting and well-written book Shaheed Nick Mohammed does a masterful job
(
of illustrating the effects of communications technology on global society using sources D
T
from scientific research to pop culture. This informative and entertaining work examines H
i
how media technology has been used to spread ignorance instead of knowledge, from sE
)
unchecked bigotry to misinformation on climate change and autism. The ubiquitous influ- i
n
ence and power of media technology makes this essential reading, especially for students
f
o
of communication, sociology, and political science.”—Matt Evans, Assistant Professor,
r
Political Science, Penn State University
m
“Highlighting the irony of an Information Age in which falsehoods, superstition, and a
t
ignorance are now easier to disseminate, Shaheed Nick Mohammed makes a wide-ranging i
o
and insightful analysis of the ill-effects of communications technology and a media culture
n
which is unfettered by the rigor of reason and the filter of empiricism.”—Kevin
Baldeosingh, Author of The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar A
g
“Dr. Mohammed brings a deep and thoughtful analysis to something that surrounds us e
all—but for which we have few reference points—the information explosion. A must-read
for any critical thinker who is trying to understand our mass mediated environment.”
—Alex Gill, CEO of Mendicant Group, Author ofAIM: Achieve, Inspire, Make a Difference
SHAHEED NICK MOHAMMED, Associate Professor of Communications at Penn State
Altoona, earned his doctorate from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. He is
the author of Communication and the Globalization of Culture: Beyond Tradition and
Borders(2011).
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
WWW.PETERLANG.COM
Mohammed hardcover DD:Layout 1 11/17/2011 11:25 AM Page 1
The (Dis)information Agechallenges prevailing notions about the impact of new informa- 79
tion and media technologies. The widespread acceptance of ideas about the socially trans-
formative power of these technologies demands a close and critical interrogation. The
technologies of the information revolution, often perceived as harbingers of social trans- M
formation, may more appropriately be viewed as tools, capable of positive and negative O
uses. This book encourages a more rational and even skeptical approach to the claims of H
A
the information revolution and demonstrates that, despite a wealth of information, igno-
M
rance persists and even thrives. As the volume of information available to us increases,
M
our ability to process and evaluate that information diminishes, rendering us, at times, less
E
informed. Despite the assumed globalization potential of new information technologies,
D
users of global media such as the World Wide Web and Facebook tend to cluster locally
around their own communities of interest and even around traditional communities of
geography, nationalism, and heritage. Thus new media technologies may contribute to
ignorance about various “others” and, in this and many other ways, contribute to the per-
sistence of ignorance.
“In this interesting and well-written book Shaheed Nick Mohammed does a masterful job
(
of illustrating the effects of communications technology on global society using sources D
T
from scientific research to pop culture. This informative and entertaining work examines H
i
how media technology has been used to spread ignorance instead of knowledge, from sE
)
unchecked bigotry to misinformation on climate change and autism. The ubiquitous influ- i
n
ence and power of media technology makes this essential reading, especially for students
f
o
of communication, sociology, and political science.”—Matt Evans, Assistant Professor,
r
Political Science, Penn State University
m
“Highlighting the irony of an Information Age in which falsehoods, superstition, and a
t
ignorance are now easier to disseminate, Shaheed Nick Mohammed makes a wide-ranging i
o
and insightful analysis of the ill-effects of communications technology and a media culture
n
which is unfettered by the rigor of reason and the filter of empiricism.”—Kevin
Baldeosingh, Author of The Ten Incarnations of Adam Avatar A
g
“Dr. Mohammed brings a deep and thoughtful analysis to something that surrounds us e
all—but for which we have few reference points—the information explosion. A must-read
for any critical thinker who is trying to understand our mass mediated environment.”
—Alex Gill, CEO of Mendicant Group, Author ofAIM: Achieve, Inspire, Make a Difference
SHAHEED NICK MOHAMMED, Associate Professor of Communications at Penn State
Altoona, earned his doctorate from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. He is
the author of Communication and the Globalization of Culture: Beyond Tradition and
Borders(2011).
P
E
T
E
R
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WWW.PETERLANG.COM
Steve Jones
General Editor
Vol. 79
The Digital Formations series is part of the Peter Lang Media and Communication list.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mohammed, S. Nick.
The (dis)information age: the persistence of ignorance /
Shaheed Nick Mohammed.
p. cm. — (Digital formations; v. 79)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Information society. 2. Ignorance (Theory of knowledge).
3. Disinformation. 4. Propaganda. 5. Information technology—
Social aspects. 6. Communication.
I. Title.
HM851.M64 303.48’33—dc23 2011046450
ISBN 978-1-4331-1502-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-0534-0 (e-book)
ISSN 1526-3169
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.
© 2012 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com
All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
Printed in Germany
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. vii
Preface .................................................................................................................. ix
1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1
2 Ignorance in Context .................................................................................... 3
3 The Information Age in Perspective ........................................................... 25
4 Information Age Paradoxes ......................................................................... 49
5 Media and Ignorance .................................................................................. 67
6 Disinformation, Propaganda and Video Games ........................................ 87
7 Ignorance Is Good Business ...................................................................... 109
8 Information Age Journalism and Ignorance ............................................ 135
9 Social Media, Disinformation and Ignorance .......................................... 147
10 Reasons for Hope ...................................................................................... 161
Epilogue: The End of the World ..................................................................... 173
Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 177
Index ................................................................................................................. 203
Acknowledgments
All scholarly work is inevitably indebted to the works that have preceded them.
The present book is no exception. Many pioneers of Information Age analysis
have crafted invaluable conceptual structures upon which our understandings
of the present age depend. At the outset the author acknowledge the debt of
gratitude we all owe to these many great scholars.
The author would also like to thank the series editor, Professor Steve Jones,
for his important guidance in development of the final manuscript.
