Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now

by Douglas Rushkoff

  Moore, Gordon E., 9

  Moore’s Law, 9

  morality, 37–38, 250, 259, 260. See also ethics; values

  Moritz, Michael, 236–37

  mortgages, 5, 168, 174, 175, 176, 177–78, 229, 247

  movies: apocalypto and, 247, 248–50; chronobiology and, 88; copies of, 71; digiphrenia and, 84, 101; fractalnoia and, 209; narrative collapse and, 28–32, 58, 67; zombie, 247, 248–50

  Moyers, Bill, 13

  MTV, 23, 35–36, 143, 154

  multitasking, 3–4, 122–26

  Museum of Modern Art (New York City), 154–55

  music: illegally downloading, 192–93; time/sound and, 114

  MyLifeBits (Microsoft project), 239–41

  Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) (TV show), 24–25, 201

  myths: apocalypto and, 263; brand, 210, 212; digiphrenia and, 76, 78, 111; fractalnoia and, 210, 212–13; narrative collapse and, 13, 16, 39, 64; new “now” and, 4; overwinding and, 164–65, 167, 190

  narrative collapse: apocalypto and, 245; change and, 9–10, 14–16; culture and, 12, 13, 30; digiphrenia and, 73; fractalnoia and, 212; games and, 58–66, 67; initial reactions to, 66; as manifestation of present shock, 7, 9–67; millenium and, 10–11; movies and, 28–32, 58, 67; new “now” and, 2, 4, 6; 1965 events and, 14; 1990s and, 9–10, 38–39; now-ist pop culture and, 23–34; Occupy Movement and, 18, 55–58; real-time news and, 43–50; and responses to living in a world without narrative, 39–43; sports and, 39–43; television and, 20–28, 31, 32, 33–34, 35–50, 58, 66, 67; terrorism and, 10–11, 17–18, 48; traditional storytelling and, 18–34.

  See also storytelling; specific topic

  Nash, John, 221

  Nass, Clifford, 123

  National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), 89–90, 223

  National Football League, 41

  Nazi Germany, Milgram’s research about obedience in, 37

  New Aesthetic, 96

  news: continuous cycle of, 54; fractalnoia and, 201–2, 216; narrative collapse and, 43–50, 66; overwinding and, 141–42, 143; public confidence in reporting about, 51; real-time, 43–50; stored, 143.

  See also blogs; Internet; newspapers; television

  newspapers, 44

  Nisbett, Richard, 234–35

  nonverbal communication, 126, 150

  now: acting, 159–69; long, 140–49, 193, 194; new, 1–8; as nonexistent, 6; and now-ist popular culture, 23–34.

  See also present/presentism

  Obama, Barack, 18, 56, 198

  obsessive short, 140

  Occupy Movement, 18, 55–58, 64, 161, 216, 264

  Olympic Sports Medicine Committee, U.S., 102

  Omega. See Alpha-Omega framework

  Ong, Walter, 77

  Opera Solutions, 158

  opinions, 50–51

  Ottoman Empire, 172–73

  overwinding: acting now and, 159–69; algorithms and, 178–79, 180, 181, 182, 183; “always-on” philosophy and, 102, 186; apocalypto and, 245, 261; change and, 141, 167; consumers and, 159–69; definition/characteristics of, 1–2, 135–36, 140, 151, 153, 157, 159; kinds of time and, 140–49; long now and, 140–49, 193, 194; makeup and, 149–59; as manifestation of present shock, 7, 131–95; mashup and, 149–59; memory and, 140, 155–57, 181–89; money and, 145–49, 170–80; obsessive short and, 140; ownership and, 168–69; spring-loading and, 136–37, 176, 182, 184, 186, 187, 189, 190–92; storage and, 136, 142, 143, 145–49, 171, 184, 186, 188, 189, 190, 194; temporal diversity and, 133–34, 139; time binding and, 137–40, 194; time as money and, 170–80; timescales and, 7, 131–37, 140–49, 190; winding up and, 189–95.

  See also specific topic

  ownership, 168–69, 204

  pacing: collaborative, 100–101; digiphrenia and, 74, 93–109; importance of, 8; multiple timescales and, 135; overwinding and, 135, 141, 170

  paranoia, 204, 218, 222, 240–41, 250, 261

  patterns: apocalypto and, 251, 263, 264; fractalnoia and, 7, 197–205, 209, 216, 217–19, 229, 230–41; generating of, 217–19; as nonexistent, 201, 202; recognition of, 7, 219, 230–41, 264

  Paul, Ron, 53

  Perren, Jeff, 60n

  Pew Internet and American Life Project, 52

  Pew Research, 51

  Pinchbeck, Daniel, 253

  Pinker, Steven, 227–28

  planking, 43

  plastic surgery, 149–51

  play. See games

  politics: citizen journalism and, 52–53; fractalnoia and, 209, 212, 216; generational issues and, 18; narrative collapse and, 7, 18, 28, 43–50, 52–53, 64, 67; overwinding and, 134, 157; real-time, 43–50.

  See also Occupy Movement

  popular culture, 7, 23–34, 247.

  See also culture

  pork belly trades, 185–86

  post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

  See stress

  Prechter, Robert, 229–30

  present/presentism: blocking out of, 17; digiphrenia and, 86; as form of time travel, 259–60; futurism and, 17; hunter-gatherer society in eternal, 76–77; impact of, 4; multiple timescales and, 135; narrative collapse and, 17, 31, 50; negation of, 85; new “now” and, 1–8; overwinding and, 141; past as wound up into, 156–57; real-time news and, 48.

  See also now

  present shock: answers to, 8, 265–66; characteristics/manifestations of, 3–5, 6–7; as end of time, 252; as existence outside time, 251; hardest part of living in, 247; as temporally destablizing, 259.

  See also specific manifestation

  Prezi, 199–200

  primitive societies, 100, 189.

  See also timescales

  Prisoner’s Dilemma, 193, 194, 220, 222, 248

  privacy, 158, 169, 204

  production, 81, 127, 161–62, 165

  productivity, 81, 82, 95, 98, 106, 111, 117, 143

  programmers, 85, 87, 96–97, 98, 128, 231–32

  programs, 84, 87, 93, 98, 101–2, 107, 113–14, 263

  progress, 86, 253–54.

  See also change

  Prometheus, 190

  public, sophistication of, 45

  public relations, 205, 207, 214, 217, 223

  publishing, 97

  Pulp Fiction (movie), 30–31

  Quetzalcoatl (Mayan god), 253

  railroad industry, 82

  RAM, 5, 140, 140n, 181–89

  Ramo, Joshua, 236–37

  RAND Corporation, 220–21, 225

  The Real World (TV show), 35–36

  reality: apocalypto and, 262, 264; chronobiology and, 88; digiphrenia and, 113; fractalnoia and, 216–17; games and, 60; narrative collapse and, 50, 66; overwinding and, 165, 169; temporal, 165.

  See also reality television

  reality television, 2, 35–43, 66, 136, 149–50

  “The Relationship Economy” (Michalski), 238–39

  religion, 8, 28, 76–77, 78–79, 101, 212, 260–62, 263–64

  remote control: for television, 21; warfare by, 7, 120–22

  Rifkin, Jeremy, 78–79

  Rinne, April, 238

  Ritalin, 92, 124

  Rizzo, Albert “Skip,” 65–66

  Roberts, Kevin, 211

  Robertson, Joel, 102–3, 104

  Romero, George, 249

  RPG (role-playing game), 60–61, 62–63

  runners, 101–2

  Rushkoff, Douglas: car accident of, 65–66; father’s clock and, 83–84; first exposure to computers of, 230–31; Michalski meeting with, 237–38; TripTik experience of, 109; writing of book by, 264–65

  Santa Fe Institute, 227, 228

  schedules, digiphrenia and, 84, 85, 93–109

  screech, fractalnoia and, 208, 210

  SEALS, Navy, 136

  Second Life, apocalypto and, 263

  Second Life (online virtual world), 258

  self: digital/virtual, 69–76, 88; representation of, 96.

  See also MyLifeBits; TheBrain

  self-confidence, narrative collapse an
d, 53

  self-consciousness, digiphrenia and, 111

  self-determination, 66

  self-interest/selfishness, 193–94, 221, 223, 248, 250

  senses: conflict of, 109–10; digiphrenia and, 109–10, 114–15

  September 11, 2001, 3, 10–11, 17–18, 48, 198, 207, 216

  serious games, 63

  Shaate Zadek Medical Center, 191

  share/sharing: fractalnoia and, 203–5, 211, 238–40; overwinding and, 142, 155, 156, 169, 192, 194; sports and, 40. See also cooperation/collaboration

  Sheen, Charlie, 31, 203, 219

  Shirky, Clay, 93, 116

  “Shooters” (game), 62

  shopping. See consumers

  short forever. See overwinding

  SimCity (game), 62

  Simmons, Bill, 41

  simplification, 220, 247

  The Simpsons (TV show), 23, 25–26, 28

  simulations, digiphrenia and, 84

  singularity, 3, 8, 252, 253, 254, 256, 258, 260, 263

  situation comedies, 30

  skaters, 132–33

  Skype, 70

  Slavin, Kevin, 179–80

  sleep, polyplastic, 95

  smart phones, 83, 84, 99, 211

  Smith, Adam, 226

  Smith, Zadie, 34

  soap operas, 33

  social games, 62–63

  social interaction: digiphrenia and, 85, 96, 109; overwinding and, 169, 184; television and, 24

  social issues, games and, 63–64

  social media/networks: fractalnoia and, 199, 204, 209, 211, 214, 215, 216–17; narrative collapse and, 64.

  See also specific media/network

  Somaspace.org, 103

  The Sopranos (TV show), 33, 39, 213

  sound, digiphrenia and, 113, 114, 129

  sports: digiphrenia and, 101–2, 103–4; as entertainment, 41; freestyle/extreme, 42–43; narrative collapse and, 39–43, 67; overwinding and, 131–33, 136; traditional team, 40–41, 42; values and, 40

  spring-loading, 136–37, 176, 182, 184, 186, 187, 189, 190–92

  Star Trek (TV show), 16, 151, 152

  stealth technology, 178–79

  Steam (game platform), 217–18

  Sternbergh, Adam, 151–52

  Stevens, Hampton, 28

  stock market. See financial world

  storage: apocalypto and, 265; digiphrenia and, 77; fractalnoia and, 238, 240; of information, 5, 142–49; new “now” and, 4, 5; overwinding and, 136, 142, 143, 145–49, 171, 184, 186, 188, 189, 190, 194; of time, 141–49

  store windows, 165, 166

  storytelling: accelerating change and, 14–16; audience participation in creation of, 61, 63, 64; benefits of, 13–14; content of stories and, 22–23; as creating context, 13–14; as cultural value, 13; digiphrenia and, 72–73, 85; endings in, 32–34, 62; failure of, 18; as influencing the future, 16; and learning from earlier generations, 138; linear, 7; manhood and, 39; as means of storing information values, 16; mechanics of, 19–20; narrative collapse and, 7, 18–23; new “now” and, 6; overwinding and, 138; and perpetuation of story, 32–33; and players as story, 64; as predicting the future, 16; responses to living in a world without, 39–43; role of, 13; as spoofs, 28; structure and, 22; traditional linear, 18–34, 61, 62, 66; as way of experiencing world, 13–14; as way of talking about the world, 13.

  See also narrative collapse

  stress: apocalypto and, 247, 250; on computers, 140n; digiphrenia and, 7, 73, 89, 100, 103, 121–22, 126, 128; narrative collapse and, 49, 65–66; overwinding and, 132, 136, 139, 140n, 144.

  See also tension/anxiety

  Surowiecki, James, 228

  sync, digiphrenia and, 100–101, 106, 109, 121, 122, 126, 127, 128

  systems theory, 200, 226–28

  Taleb, Nassim, 229

  Tarantino, Quentin, 30

  Taylor, Frederick, 81

  Tea Party, 53–55, 264

  technology: apocalypto and, 249–50, 254, 255, 256–58, 259, 260, 263; development of new, 192; digiphrenia and, 7, 93–109; exploitation of, 30; fractalnoia and, 231–32; interactive, 211; narrative collapse and, 20, 30; new “now” and, 3; as partner in human evolution, 256–57; time as a, 76–87, 88–90; unintended consequences of, 249–50.

  See also type of technology

  television: apocalypto and, 247–48, 250; audience for, 20–23; cable, 22, 55, 94, 216; captivity and, 21, 31; commericials on, 20–21, 167; fractalnoia and, 199, 210, 214; human interaction and, 24; humor on, 25; narrative collapse and, 20–28, 31, 32, 33–34, 35–50, 58, 66, 67; new “now” and, 2; news on, 43–50, 51, 54, 55; overwinding and, 167; popular culture and, 23–29; reality, 2, 35–43, 66, 136, 149–50; remote control of, 21; situation comedies on, 31; soap operas on, 33; storyless shows on, 23; zombies on, 247–48, 250

  temporal diversity, 133–34, 139

  temporal reality, 165

  “tensegrity,” 104

  tension/anxiety, 20, 21, 26, 33–34, 122, 194.

  See also stress

  terrorism, 10–11, 17–18, 48, 203, 207, 246–47, 261.

  See also September 11, 2001

  Tetlock, Philip, 232–33, 234

  text: digiphrenia and, 114; invention of, 77–78; overwinding and, 142, 143; stages in human evolution and, 77–78; stored, 143

  TheBrain, Michalski’s, 238, 239, 240

  thinking, as collective activity, 203–5

  time: chronobiology and, 87–93; chronos, 112–20, 235–36, 259; digital, 7, 82–86, 112–20; end of, 3, 250, 252, 253–54, 262; as equivalent and interchangeable, 94; flowing, 141–42, 145–49; free of, 88; importance of, 199; as information, 86; Kairos, 112–20, 236, 259; kinds of, 140–49;

  time (cont.) linear, 3, 87, 113, 263–64; measurement of, 7; as money, 135, 170–80; new “now” and, 3, 6; no, 140; present shock as existence outside, 251; slowing of, 151; stored, 141–49; as a technology, 76–87, 88–90; 10,000-year spans of, 134, 140; zones of, 82, 111.

  See also calendars; clocks; specific topic

  time binding, 137–40, 194, 261

  Time Dollars, 149

  timescales: multiple, 131–37, 140–49; overwinding and, 7, 131–37, 140–49, 190; temporal diversity and, 133–34

  Timewave Zero, McKenna’s, 252

  Toffler, Alvin, 4, 9, 14–15, 16

  trade, international, 80, 175

  trading, investment. See financial markets

  tragedy of the commons, 192–93

  transparency, 64, 216, 222, 223

  TripTik, Rushkoff’s experience with, 109

  trucking industry, 127–28

  Trump, Donald, 36

  trust/distrust, 39, 53, 80–81, 171, 213, 233

  truth, 50–51

  Turner, Mark, 13

  Turner, Ted, 46

  28 Days Later (movie), 249–50

  28 Weeks Later (movie), 249–50

  Twitter: apocalypto and, 265; digiphrenia and, 72, 74, 99, 119; fractalnoia and, 203, 205, 210, 211; narrative collapse and, 47, 51, 64; new “now” and, 2, 3, 6; overwinding and, 142, 143; real-time news and, 47

  Unabomber, 256

  University of Southern California (USC), Institute for Creative Technologies at, 65–66

  U.S. Behavioral Finance Group (JPMorgan Chase), 174

  values, 7, 16, 40, 63, 64, 86.

  See also ethics; morality

  Vietnam War, 29, 45

  Vivos, 245

  Walker, Alice, 18

  The Walking Dead (TV show), 247–48, 250

  Wallace, David Foster, 34

  Walmart, 159, 160

  Wanamaker, John, 165

  war, 7, 202, 225.

  See also specific war

  Wiener, Norbert, 224–25

  Willis, Bruce, 30–31

  Wilson, Woodrow, 45

  The Wire (TV show), 33, 199

  Wired magazine, 16, 124

  women: as consumers, 166; kleptomania by, 166

  work ethic, 12

  World Bank, 173, 17
4

  World Health Organization (WHO), 92

  World War I, 45

  World War II, 5, 12, 166, 225

  World of Warcraft (game), 62, 88

  Wozniak, Steve, 203

  writers, 27, 34, 97–98

  youth/young people, 3, 39–40, 51, 56, 58, 60, 67, 151, 204.

  See also generational issues

  YouTube, 43, 47, 84, 154, 198, 236

  yuppie hipster, 149–52

  Zara, 127

  Zemeckis, Robert, 29

  zombies, 247–50, 264

  Zoroaster, 261–62

  * Ironically, after I whimsically suggested this connection during a lecture tour in Europe, a French television producer tried it for real in a program called The Game of Death. Of course, in this case, the real victims were the people who believed they were the torturers. Under the approving watch of the producers, many contestants delivered what they believed to be lethal doses of electricity to hired actors.

  * Dungeons & Dragons was itself inspired by a set of rules written by Jeff Perren for people who played with miniature medieval figures, which was later expanded and published as the game Chainmail by Gary Gygax.

  * The discontinuous experience of leaving where you are online in order to go buy something somewhere else was never real, anyway. Websites don’t exist in particular places, and we don’t move anywhere as we click from one to the other.

  * Yes, when a computer runs out of active memory, special compensatory processes can take over that use extra space on the hard drive as makeshift RAM—virtual RAM. But the grinding sounds a hard drive makes under such stress, and the tendency for programs to run slow and hang under such conditions, just underscores how much better it is to use the appropriate kind of hardware for the job. Interesting, especially in a presentist, always-on world, RAM has proved much better at working as a hard drive than the other way around.

  * An online virtual world

  Table of Contents

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  CONTENTS

  PREFACE

  CHAPTER 1 — NARRATIVE COLLAPSE

  CHAPTER 2 — DIGIPHRENIA: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO

  CHAPTER 3 — OVERWINDING: THE SHORT FOREVER

  CHAPTER 4 — FRACTALNOIA: FINDING PATTERNS IN THE FEEDBACK