DMR001: Why People Are Less Logical These Days

Digital Majority connects the dots. the intersection of technology, law, and media in the digital age. Hi, I'm Kenneth Chan, the publisher of DigitalMajority.org. And we are very glad to have you here at the relaunch of Digital Majority as the go-to destination for smart, insightful, and practical advice that you as our reader and audience can benefit. Michael, what do you think?

Hey everyone, I'm Michael Vincent here, and thank you for the opportunity to join you here, Ken, as the co-chair of our weekly ThoughtPeace discussion. The original digital majority started in 2006 as a user-supported discussion forum by focusing on the intersection of digital assets and the intellectual property rights. That was the same year that Spotify was founded, and there were only 20 million users on YouTube. Right. Last I checked, YouTube already crossed 2 billion users.

And so it suggested to me that digitalmajority.org was quite early and truly charting its own path in facilitating intelligence and important conversations in this part of the TMT ecosystem. I dabbled into it with SoundCloud, American Idol, and most recently in the EV charging space as well. My impression is that while we have the bleeding edge innovators,

developing things that we've never experienced before. yet a set of rules governing them that were not designed for the digital age and the rule book is vague and subject to interpretations. On top of the business and law aspect, though, Ken, don't forget the human dimension. The innovators, entertainers, writers are not short of big and colorful personalities. And yet...

If anyone has listened to a patent lawyer podcast before, I have. We have a group of very intelligent, probably geeky rule-based personas as the representatives of those who make the rules. Well, let's just say that the world has not gotten simpler and personalities have only gotten more and more independent with their thoughts. And that's a good segue to share with everyone in this first show, my rationale for bidding the site.

earlier this year and rebuilding it from the ground up without losing sight of what makes the original concept so intriguing and important in filling up some of the holes in our collective knowledge base. Michael, have you noticed it's becoming harder to get people on the phone or have a meaningful conversation with those who might not share your views? Do you feel like the conversations have gotten dumper?

across areas such as logical reasoning, cultural understanding, and politeness, qualities that were celebrated as milestones of human evolution just half a century ago, it seems to be happening increasingly often. Well, Ken, if you are knowledgeable in those high-tech stuff, then I should claim the history buff seat. What I do know is that exactly 50 years ago, in 1974,

the TCP IP protocol was about to be established, a historic moment marking the transition of the internet from an enthusiast pastime to the modern global network we know today. So, yeah, the timing of the decline was consistent with the birth of the internet. But the past half century has also witnessed the internet usher in a golden age of information, interconnectivity and human achievement. Yeah, absolutely.

But what kind of editorial information we are getting? What type of connections we are making? and does Octomom qualify as a human achievement? I'm guessing that is why we need digital majority to fix everything. Yes, it is one of the reasons for sure. Here at digitalmajority.org, we believe communities across the world are collectively experiencing what can be called a digital multiple personality disorder.

And it began with one simple truth. We have no precedent regarding the internet. For centuries, families, parents, and teachers guided younger generations through rites of passage, tying shoelaces, attending ball games, driving for the first time. These lessons instilled mindsets that balance our pursuit of excitement with the physical and mental boundaries of human life.

You are suggesting that the birth and development of the internet, however, are unprecedented. It's evolving so fast that humanity has inadvertently been thrust into the largest social and psychological experiment in history. Come to think of it, it is just like a real-life squid game, except it's real, and from grandmothers to first graders, everyone is a participant. It reminded me that, if we look back at history, a comparable moment occurred when the Chinese Communist Party banned Confucianism and Buddhism,

after taking power. In the absence of moral guidance and shared philosophies, entire generations grew up with an individualistic, materialistic mindset. While this era propelled China's economic growth, it also left its citizens with diminished happiness, loyalty, and a weakened sense of civil duty. Michael, I am impressed by your history knowledge about China, no less. And yes, the social and economic consequences.

that China and its citizens have to pay far exceed the be something that you can choose to swing left or swipe right. On the other hand, ladies and gentlemen, I believe we are facing more profound cultural and societal challenges today as a nation and as a race. Generative AI, virtual reality, and mindless scrolling syndrome have led many to prefer swiping over thinking. Debates lack logic.

Conversations lack connection.

where media reshapes reality, and where these forces collectively shape our human experience. Exactly. And to continuing the lineage of democratizing the language of the internet to the general public, it has become the essence of the digital majority. By definition, the majority of us are not specialists. Even among those who are, few can navigate two, three, or more overlapping domains.

While specialists advance human progress in narrow fields, we believe it's equally important to see the bigger picture. Our role is to interpret signals across domains and connect the dots shaping our digital future, a future that's still grounded in the physical world. At the core of our approach are three values. One, integrity. Sovereignty over your online identity.

You control what you share. Two, fairness. Digital rights ownership. Choosing how your creations are used. Three, authenticity. Intelligent creative autonomy. Deciding how you work online. These principles are practical guideposts for bridging the divide between who we are and how we exist in the digital realm. Our vision is clear. A future where your digital identity is whole.

Your rights are protected and your creativity is respected. This is not just a mission, but a movement, a call to create a fairer, more authentic and integrated digital world. A future where the majority, once again, loves and embraces the internet as we did half a century ago. So there you have it. I hope this little pre-taped segment can give you and many of our old friends and new listeners an idea of what digital majority is all about.

Of course, we do not want you to go on our website and see an empty page, so we have quite a few good nuggets of value to share with you.

and it will be in your mailbox within the next 24 hours. And looking at my editorial calendar just now, everyone, I'll definitely take advantage of the offer. And more importantly, you do not want to miss what's up next. We have Google's Chrome Fire Sale, three-part series, Microsoft Transformation from DUD to Stud. Under CEO Nadella, we have a five-part series that talks about the various nationalist players.

in the global borderless digital landscape. much value and all it costs is just you liking our show on a podcast or anywhere you can find, as well as go to the website, HTTPS or joshdigitalmajority.org and sign up for all the free resources. All right, everyone, we wish you a great Monday morning and see you next week at our Digital Majority Connects the Dot Show.