Statistical data does not often predict
cultural changes, more often - pop culture and social networks provide us with
hints about what our future holds and it’s my contention that “Whatever” is
just one of many small indicators that are telling us that a whole new generation
has lost its trust in the daily information barrage …or has it gained a new
filter for recognizing what is trustworthy or of real interest?
The next generation has evolved to have the capacity
to filter out the barrage of junk information floated in the various media and
social media every day. Declarative or all-encompassing terms like “gridlock”
or “fiscal cliff” are meant to dumb down ideas for mass consumption. We see
this in virtually all forms of communications. The sound bite, the video clip,
the Tweet, have all become over simplifications of thoughts and ideas. Maybe younger
people today have gradually been able to tune in this new filter ….and when an
idea is interesting to them they go deeper but otherwise it’s …”What Ever!”
I even find myself saying “Whatever” more
often, especially if you count the times that I feel that way but simply use other
terms to make the same commentary. Does
this mean I am beginning to apply this filter? I think of it as the amphibian’s second
eyelid that protects while maintaining visibility. It’s an evolutionary adaptation and perhaps this
is what is at work here as we seek to adapt to ever increasing flow and archive
of information.
I have used the word archive, very deliberately
since in today’s world, immediate information is usually not the most trustworthy
and perhaps some sobering second thought allows us to access information ‘on-demand”
when we want, how we want and from a more trustworthy source.
Maybe “Whatever” is not just an annoying
word but idea whose time has come.
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