Dora here. This week I would like to share with you my ongoing meditation on communication, communication systems & technology.
To this day, each implementation of the next level of Communication Technology (printing press, telephone, television and computers) has increased our time spent alone and decreased our face-to-face communion. In addition, many words — that once warmed our hearts — have acquired insincere secondary meanings:
friends (real life vs. online),
connecting (taking a trip together vs. looking at each other's online vacation pictures),
sharing (inviting someone to dinner vs. posting a picture of a restaurant meal).
Instead of serving human needs, technology has perhaps become a way to use humans: quantifying and “datafying”, recording and altering our ways of being. Has the Tipping Point finally arrived?
To me, Junto combines the human and digital elements in a harmonious way. It's a digital design from a human perspective that allows you to search for any expression and use it to connect, collaborate and create meaningfully. But. Communication is hindered unless people feel free to express themselves in the environment they are in. So what if we had a technological tool whose very existence was inspired by creating this free and fluid atmosphere?
An ever evolving medium molding to our needs.
Dora
PS. Browsed my brain for some mind-expanding and fun materials I've encountered in past years regarding various forms of communication and technology. Enjoy! :)
What’s new
#SoundMagic
Music The Universal Language
A wonderful and brief conversation about musical cultures melding together. Jamshed Bharucha, a Neuroscientist at Tufts University says,
“One of music’s primordial functions is to breed or foster social cohesion and really get people’s brain-states aligned so they can form a larger community than themselves”.
#7,000Languages
Politics and the English Language, 1945 | George Orwell
While this brilliant essay does connect writing and politics together, the message regarding the English language is just as applicable to other forms of writings today. Orwell points out that while the decline of language ultimately has political and economical causes, the effect is further reinforced by bad habits: outdated metaphors that no longer evoke a visual image, pasting together long strips of words set by someone else, or using foreign phrases unnecessarily, etc. As a solution, he offers 6 simple rules and suggests that language becomes “an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought”. (Source: www.orwell.ru)
Book: Conscious Language ~ The Logos Of Now | Robert Tennyson Stevens
A very captivating and detailed recount of how specific sentence structures impact the way our lives unfold.
“Language is to you what an Operating System is to a computer”.
“In language, any change — any subtle change in feeling, a simple word change, a phrase change or a change in thinking — has an enormous potential influence on our lives. Changing our language changes our life ‘trajectory’ ”.
How language shapes the way we think | Lera Boroditsky
“Those who know many languages live as many lives as the languages they know”. ‒ Czech proverb. Cognitive scientist, Lera Boroditsky explains how languages shape our thinking. The most interesting example being an Aboriginal community that uses cardinal directions (north, south, east and west) instead of left and right. Yes. Always! E.g. Can you please move your cup in the south-west direction? :)
#ImageryAsLanguage
You are fluent in this language (and don’t even know it) | Christoph Niemann
How do artists tap into our emotions and minds — all without words?
“I try to achieve a level of simplicity, where if you were to take away one more element, the whole concept would just collapse” - Christoph Niemann
#ButThatsNoneOfMyBusiness
Michael Persinger on No More Secrets
Michael Persinger presents the results of his scientific experiments on telepathy, with a focus on remote viewing. He believes that a technology that enables telepathy on a global scale is the next communication system and one of the implications of experiencing the suffering of others would end all wars and starvation.
#WeeklyResonations
Here’s what our team found valuable this week:
From Eric:
Last year, I reached out to one of the co-founders of the Holistic Life Foundation. They’re a 501c(3) nonprofit that have spent the past few years replacing detention in Baltimore public schools with meditation, yoga and mindful moments. As a result, suspensions have been reduced to 0% and students have learned how to remain calm and resolve conflict peacefully. They’re looking to branch out of Baltimore, so if you’re interested in learning more, volunteering your time or even spearheading a larger initiative and want me to introduce you, feel free to drop me an email at eric@junto.foundation. In the meantime, learn more about them here and below:
From Yaz:
Discovered this very interesting tune today. The transition after the intro (about 1 minute in) really struck me!!! Enjoy a soulful & powerful feeling in addition to a YES album cover. (Spotify link here)
We want your feedback.
Like what you see? Share it! Think we can be doing things better? Let us know. We’re open to ideas so DM us at hi@junto.love or drop any of the team members a note at their individual emails listed on our website here.