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one versus many

The mosaic of visual and sonic percepts in the urban environment consists of an ever increasing number of stimuli, each of them competing for attention of the human senses.

Due to electronic technologies every individual has the possibility to amplify and multiply his opinions. The degree of diffusion and notoriety of an idea does not depend on the content of the idea itself, but on the availability of technology. On bandwidth. On the reach of the broadcast station.

Because of the multiformity and rivalry of the environment human senses can hardly focus on a single cue. The attention is divided between several objects which are considered the most important. People aren't any more observers of their environment. They are drawn into and become a part of it.

A high level of involvement means a high level of subjectivity. Subjectivity is peculiar to humankind. In connection with media supplying endless data streams man becomes so much engaged by the selection of percepts that he is not able to pay attention to the media themselves. Man is not perceiving his environment any more. It dominates him. The masses are dominated by their environment.

Here it becomes clear that the fragmentation and multiformity of stimuli (as perceived by man) is fictitious (but not form his point of view) if viewed from a distance. It is the appearance of the immediate environment from the viewpoint of a single individual.

The infinitude and diversity of non-dependent stimuli in our environment persuades us about our own independence. But the nature of this stimuli is the same, they are the same to everyone; they are the content of the same media. So in fact there's a inverse process going on: The diversity of stimuli is a false evidence on the surface of the problem. If the situation is perceived from a different, further point of view the actual process can be seen as leading to uniformity; causing a diminution of differences; the "normalising" of individual reactions.

The environment is becoming more and more entropic - the increasing diversity and randomness between its parts indicates a decrease in variety of the whole. The energy of the whole, the incentive for change diminishes.

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Media took control of mankind. Media aren't means of power. They become power itself.

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People live like in advertisements. People live on advertisements. People live advertisements.
Look around. (Not inside.) Then look inside.