Gleick’s, “The Information” brings to light a point that was made by McCracken in his “Web at 25: Tim Berners-Lee’s Amazing Proposal Document.” Two of the greatest forms of technology were conceived without regard for the true impact that they would have on future generations. In both articles, relatively simple concepts have evolved into complex, yet commonplace items of mainstream technology.
While a member of the Bell Labs Mathematical research group, according to Gleick, Claude Shannon began making connections by, “…seeking a framework to connect his many threads, Shannon began assembling a theory for information”. (Gleick) Shannon eventually commenced incorporating the term information into his theory. Gleick credits Shannon with connecting information to entropy, chaos, and alleviating uncertainty. This theory is thought of as the stimulus for information processing. In order for information to be properly decoded and processed it needs to possess some qualities belonging to clarity.
Loewenstein gave me a clearer understanding of the theory of information in what he refers to as the “information circle”. According to Loewenstein, “It connotes a cosmic principle of organization and order, and it provides an exact measure of that.” (qtd in Gleick) Each piece of information is added to create a layer for the organization, that keeps the circle going. The addition of information is never ending as referenced by the circle analogy.
In my interpretation of Loewenstein’s theory, I imagine the information circle as a layered cake. Each piece of information is a layer of the cake, and it serves a different, but crucial purpose. Obviously, the layers of the cake are also required in order for the cake to meet the requirements of a layered cake. The organization and placement of each layer is determined by the level of importance that each layer possesses. Because layers are added to the top of the cake there aren’t layers (information) that are no longer useful. Gleick claims that “Hardly any information technology becomes obsolete. Each new one throws its predecessors into relief.” (Gleick) In fact, each layer is required in order to continue building.
Works Cited
McCracken, Harry. “Web at 25: Tim Berners-Lee’s Amazing Proposal Document.” Time, Time, 12 Mar. 2014, time.com/21039/tim-berners-lee-web-proposal-at-25/.
Gleick, James. “The Information” New York Times, 2011, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/books/review/excerpt-the-information-by-james-gleick.html