Let’s keep in mind that as humans we are, at least for the moment,  analog beings. Discussions on transhumanism, extropy, and AI’s will be further  down the line. Our identity and sense of self come from the communities in which we find ourselves. What makes this point in time different from all times previous is the digital pervasiveness of the world we now live in. But there’s  still nothing new under the sun with respect to us as human beings.

Now we can extend our communities and identities into cyberspace, virtual realities, social medias, the Web via the Internet. This has a dynamic all its own and  is what is central to Digital Culture. But when all the hoo haa is over and done, we are still analog; sleeping in our own heads.  It is important  not to get side-tracked or confused about the fact that while our families, communities and sense of self are now extended the issues for our human development, growth and happiness largely remain the same.

For those of us over 40, it is a transition, for generations X and Y, it is just part of the landscape, and for generation Z it is all-pervasive, they don’t and won’t know any other reality. For them “analog camps” will be some kind of museum trip or nostalgia fad.

Digital Culture, then, is just one more element added to the mix of reality as we find it and what shapes us in our understandings of ourselves and others. For some it is a tool, others a toy, others a distraction, and others an addiction. We’ll see all of that and more here and hopefully have good discussions about the aha’s, serendipities, and nurturing sides of this culture, as well as some of its dangers and pitfalls.