Clandestine Communication - Part 4: UR what U-IS...Back to BASIC Instincts 

Setting the Scene, Unseen: Yesterday I briefly touched on some of the sociological IMPACT! that high tech has had, in ushering US ALL into the "Golden Age of High Technology", and how there's two sides to every story as well as its main characters. With "Hackers", for example, there are those who have once again demonstrated the redeeming side of Robin Hood and similar aspirants, while we have become more acutely aware over the last few years of the malevolent bunch, who might initially pose as such "Merry Men" who worked alongside Robin, but whose merriment turns out to be an aspiration for world domination. In a word, HEGEMONY! The plot and theme of countless movies and novels and, as I mentioned yesterday, depicted in the ongoing saga of "Spy versus Spy" in a world gone "MAD". Nothing new, these two groups. Neither are our own drives, our own BASIC instincts, which is the focus here today, how WE ourselves play a role in all of this, even at a 'cellular level'. But first, a Quick-Book, I mean a Quick-Look back, a backdrop of two steps, elements that set the scene for this discussion, as in...

Back to BASIC's: "...a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use...enable students in non-scientific fields to use computers..." To which most of us responded, "Now you're talking MY language!"...This, combined, in confluence of...UM... 

Ease-y Does It: "Ease of Access Center" (formerly "Utility Manager") is a component of Windows NT family of operating systems that makes your computer more accessible. To which many of us newbies responded, "Awesome, ease of use, accessibility, all in the family...all well and good..." Accessibility and BASIC instincts, that we have learned, as I briefly illustrated in a few recent posts on this whole "Clandestine" operation, goes both ways; that is, Ours and Theirs.

       While different in shape and form, the forces at play here are nothing new, but come to us, give us all (almost the entire world over now), technologies, information, and apps, as "New and Improved", those which have found their way around P.C. forces ("Parental Controls") as well as our own I.C. (here representing "Internal Controls") -- our abilities to resist, withstand the pull of what THEY have figured out is our own personal proclivities...ranging from an unquenchable thirst for trivia, on through vicarious thrill of gratuitous violence, on to some other prurient, less-than-pure, interests...In part it's the 'natural evolution' of some more BASIC instincts, primary needs which, once met (or not) can give rise to what we psychologists refer to as secondary needs...even 'tertiary'...The awareness of these needs and drives and the Opos for gratifying them (at least the illusion) have become the dual focus of a host of 'hosts' in the computer, high tech and world (sociologically speaking) and have, in turn, become a large part of our internal world -- psychologically speaking, it's what UR...intra-cellular...

Predator and Prey, Psychology at Play: One saying among 'gamers' is that those who have never touched or played a video game are literally a dying breed -- perhaps, but they may have been vicariously participating if the trends of supply and demand the past few Christmas gift buying seasons are any indicator, way before the rise of VR the season now in the rear view mirror. At a BASIC level it's what happens when the more creative techies meet behind doors with some of the more brilliant psychologists among us (I have to admit). Even in the earliest stages of gaming, for instance, with the advent of Ataris' "Pong", Midway's "Space Invaders", and Nanco's "Pac-Man"!, the psychology of "Intermittent Reinforcement" (wherein we feel reinforced every so often, which keeps most of us wanting, coming back for more), had already been around a long, long time, and systemically represented in the gaming world of casinos and even golf (e.g., you hit a few good shots, especially if it's the last of the day and you think you could actually master this game...VERY dangerous!). In the case of casinos, the slot machines are one of the most ubiquitously experienced, brilliantly set up so at to reinforce you every ? times, accompanied by sights and sounds, the 'bells and whistles' we also find pleasing...all scientifically derived. And now, in our PC's, we have become aware of how the algorithms that at first glance seem designed to bring us benign enjoyment, are all the while collecting our own personal proclivities on which these algorithms are based...

From CC to JND, to Dope-a-Mine: Yeah, so these so-called algorithms, which eventuate in such friendly messages as "We think you'll like this..." (based on the pattern of our click-ons), are in turn based in part on what we psychologists call "classical conditioning", which are essentially strong associations that can derive from real pleasurable or strongly traumatic conditions, after which things get strongly linked...which can sometimes be obvious to Us and Them while otherwise just outside awareness which, in the Psychology of Perception, is referred to as "Just Noticeable Difference"...with enough trials and click-ons our followers, those who brought us "Cookies"😋, end up manipulating in ways that we might devour but otherwise find repugnant while in our outside world. And, once we get a taste for such morsels, perhaps through a combo of classical conditioning and intermittent reinforcement (which in turn derives from "Operant Conditioning") we end up seeking more out, not due to any primary, BASIC need, but one which is acquired, a DIY type of Dope-a-Mine. So, in the end the UR, Unconditioned Response, can become what U-Is, what U Intentionally Seek. Like anything else we crave for, digest, and afterwards...

At the end of the Day: Depending on what we have digested during the day, we may be tempted to purge, dump, or even back-up what we have downloaded. Otherwise, before going OUT to the casino, or IN to your computer, you may want to weigh your personal risk tolerance. THEY are, as we speak; that you can bet on.