Former Vice President Al Gore wants a “purpose-driven Web.”
See, cyberspace isn’t purpose-driven . . . yet. It only helps us access all the information in the world, communicate instantly at no cost with people on the other side of the globe, find true love, shop, download books and movies and lectures, elect presidents, refute environmentalist alarmism, save lives, and other such trivia.
A New York Times article reports that in Al Gore’s view, “we” haven’t done enough to spread his vision of the imminent doom of the earth.
Gore can’t be held accountable for anybody else’s understanding of his views, of course. So let’s find a direct quote from this article about how “we” must do more with the Web than just trade party photos on Facebook.
According to Gore, speaking at an Internet conference in San Francisco, “Web 2.0 has to have a purpose.”
What purpose?
Nothing less, he declares, than “bring[ing] about a higher level of consciousness about our planet and the imminent danger and opportunity we face because of the radical transformation in the relationship between human beings and the Earth.”
Sounds quite grand, as long you don’t try to divine what the words actually mean.
In my online world, individual lives and individual purposes matter quite a lot, despite a lack of overarching purpose. Offline too.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.