We live in a time when our trust in large organizations is lower than it's ever been . That's what it feels like anyway - having been around for less than three decades, I'm probably not particularly well suited to doing any sort of long term assessment. But it's just the impression I get. It's interesting that it is at this very moment that civilization has developed tools which allow us to better hunt for truth. All of the infrastructure and devices for communication and organization help us get our message out, and give each of us the potential to be heard by the entire world. Shame most of us just pass around the link to goatse, really.

And of course, the fact that we have these tools is a least a part of why our faith in those once trusted organizations has faltered; part of this is deserved (major news organizations getting caught promoting clear forgeries in order to discredit the President, soldiers in the United States Army photographed needlessly maltreating prisoners). Part less so - the issues that these organizations need to deal with are outrageously complex, far too deep to be addressed an a blog post, or even an entire career's worth of posting (unless, of course, you are Stephen Den Beste). So we are constantly faced with casual summaries and incomplete analyses of things as they happen, make snap judgments, and quickly move onto the next thing.

I've no conclusion here, just some things I've been thinking about. A good part of my job is the collection, analysis, and distribution of information. My best friends business is based on building a framework for people to build systems of communication. The vast majority of my waking day (and if you've found your way to this post, probably yours too) is spent using, helping to build, and adding content to a ginormous communication infrastructure. In my heart, I believe that it's a good thing. But to be honest, I'm not 100% sold on it.