Natural Selection In the Information Age
Although we live in a world where the things around us (i.e., our environment) are constantly changing or evolving, 1 often we’re unclear as to what the concept really means. One of the most robust models of evolution is natural selection (sometimes [mis]interpreted as survival of the fittest) proposed by Charles Darwin.
When people hear the term “survival of the fittest,” they often assume that what’s meant is that only the strong survive. This isn’t the case, however, and isn’t what Darwin had in mind. What Darwin was getting at, and what this phrase really means is that those organisms that are best adapted to their environment have the greatest chance of surviving and having their genes passed on to a future generation.
The thing is, the environment is constantly changing, both due to the actions of organisms in the environment, and due to the changes that happen because of natural processes. And just like the natural environment is undergoing constant change, so too is the information technology environment. Different ideas are always being put out into the world (and at what seems to be an accelerating pace), and some of those ideas like the PC survive and have a significant impact in changing the environment, while others like HD-DVD die and may be quickly forgotten.
Now since the natural environment is fairly constant in the 21st century, there is little need to adapt to that environment 2 But failing to adapt to the changing information environment can put you at serious risk of “death” in what’s been termed the knowledge economy. 3
One way to ensure your survival in the knowledge economy is by practicing to manipulate information (by critically reading [and writing about] the information you come across) and by doing what reading fiction encourages—imagining the possibilities that each technology brings and uncovering the hidden “meanings” and connections between those technologies.
- The iPod serves as a great example, with 18+ models having been released since 2001. ↩
- Although our natural environment is undergoing change. (e.g., the potential of global warming, relatively abundant food supplies which can lead to obesity and other diseases of affluence), at present it doesn’t appear as though humanity is (or needs to) adapting to these changes. ↩
- Some of my friends who are engineers have told me that if you don’t get an engineering job within a year of being out of school, your degree is essentially worthless. Similarly, every couple of months it seems like there’s a new computer application that, while not necessarily displacing or making the old obsolete, tends to improve upon the old in some way and which makes some of the old ways cumbersome and inefficient. ↩
Tags: environment, natural selection, technology
