Kayaking For Simians

"Ooogah." said the alpha monkey. "Ooogah, oooGah, ooogaH!" said his monkey followers. It was enough. Then someone threw a keyboard into the cage...

In T. H. Huxley's "infinite monkey theorem" if you give infinite monkeys infinite typewriters, one of them will finally create a masterpiece - and will still have not the faintest idea he or she has done so! Oy vey! In Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen speaks of the digital revolution: "It's ignorance meets egoism, meets bad taste, meets mob rule... on steroids". A completely accurate description of what has actually happened to Al Gore's hopeful internet in general, and on KFS specifically. And just what happens when these factors collide? Keen continues...

"The monkeys take over. Say goodbye to the experts and gatekeepers". Like reporters, editors and skilled moderators. "In today's cult of the (cut 'n paste) amateur, the monkey's are running the show." "The (alleged) wisdom of the crowd is manifested on editor-free sites".

Like KFS.

Keen is speaking of a net wide phenomena that has reduced the net to the lowest common denominator. Where editor-free sites are overrun by howling mobs of amateurs who effectively drive out all but their own clan and kind. In the world of kayaking think KFS. A humongous and totally commercial website that - with the exception of the do-it-yourself section - is practically unmoderated. The result - a small band of monkeys has taken over. And a small band it is, but the volume of their daily droppings is staggering (some boast of over 10,000 posts!). Effectively smothering and intimidating most all others.

Keen continues...

"Today's technology hooks all the monkeys up - but instead of masterpieces they are creating a digital (mountain) of monkey mediocrity". "Worse yet, the monkeys - quoting monkeys - and leading other monkeys begin to believe they are really human experts".

"OOOgah!" screamed the alpha monkey. "OooGah, ooOgah, ooogaH!" "OooGah, ooOgah, ooogaH!!" "OooGah, ooOgah, ooogaH!!!" chanted his followers, cowering and hopeful, and continuing to type. Then they ate some bananas.

"Howbee!" gurgled the alpha. "hoLy, honeE, Hobie!!" typed the followers. "Hobie, hObee, howBee, herbiE!!!". And ate some more bananas. Now the monkeys at KFS would like to believe they've joined the "in" crowd...

Instead the it's the out crowd who's joined them...

Mmmmmm, feels good.

So what happens when say an intelligent, free thinking human being intrudes into the private primate preserve? Doubt the alpha monkey and his band of banana smoking, red-assed sycophants will howl and attack you with a frenzied vengence. All in a maddening attempt to protect their mini monkey minds from being confronted with the fact that...

They are just monkeys after all. Havabanana!

For more details check these three links:
1) Kult of MonKeYs,
2) KFS: Commercial Cult Central?,
3) Meet the Fokkers!