The Great Web Shiva - How the Internet Transforms

The Supreme Hindu God, Shiva, is often spoken of as an amalgam of opposing forces, central to which are creation and destruction. By destroying, he brings transformation, and thus the cycle of change rolls on.

An article in The Telegraph this week highlights 50 ways in which the Internet is the 21st century Shiva. By replacing old ways, new ways are arising, and the children of Shiva are incessantly altered by their own alterations.

A look at this nearly exhaustive list includes some brilliant, and often hilarious, observations:

- The Art of Polite Disagreement: Youtube and blogging have polarized political discussion beyond the thrill of reconciliation.

- Punctuality: Why be on time if you can iPhone in and say you'll be late?

- Adolescent Nerves At First Porn Purchase: If you're over 30, chances are you remember your first adult content shopping spree, rife with sweat and racing heart. Kids these days, privately ensconced in their rooms and desensitized by the abundance of such content on the web, are freed of such humiliation.

- The Dignity of Nigerian Entrepreneurs and Princesses: Will you ever again trust someone from the most populous country in Africa?

- Sharing Media Together: Gone are the days when friends and families sat around watching the same shows or listening to the same music. Now, everyone exists in their own wifi performance pod.

- Enforceable Copyright: Face it. You own nothing. Even if you're BMI. Which means you own everything.

- Dogging: The British word for engaging in sex in a semi-public place, or watching others do so. Enough said.

- Knowing Things: Memorization is for fools. Just look it up and keep your head clear for ... for ... what?

- Undiscovered Artists: No one's heard your music or read your novel? Get an outlet, dude.

- Lunchbreaks: The keyboard is the new bib.

The wheel of creation and destruction never stops in its daily electronic collective re-enactment of the excavation at Mohenjo-Daro. What? Google it.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.