Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
5.8
Narratives in Cultural Evolution
Having reached this point, we might assume that digitalization could enable us to
possess more, and more varied, narratives of ourselves and of others, which could
question our experiences or knowledge of time and which could modify narratives
of the past (a past whose story could be considered improvable). We might also
consider that digitalization could offer us a greater number of narratives that modify
the present, fundamentally our experiences, in which we are immersed (be that by
manipulation of the formal times of narrated stories, by refl ection on the time in
plots or by absolutely timeless immersion in the consumption experience). Finally,
we might consider that digitalization when applied creatively to narratives could
present us with a greater number of narratives whose core leads to the idea of obtain-
ing something different in the future that is changeable and always more positive.
However, what collective effects could all the above have? Honestly, the future
cannot be known; we can only speculate on the basis of the tracks available to us.
But if we insist on hypothesising with certain rigour, we come to the theory of accu-
mulative cultural evolution, which sustains that each generation benefi ts from the
progress made by previous generations, producing cultural artefacts of increasing
complexity and sophistication. Following the principles of this theory, the narratives
that people might produce about their lives in the future, not only due to technologi-
cal but also cultural evolution, should be more sophisticated and complex than in the
past (in fact, they already are with respect to just a few years ago). But there is
another element worth considering.
The processes of cumulative cultural evolution, in addition to the above, involve
social learning that guarantees the storage of successive modifi cations over time
(Cadwell and Millen
2008
). Cultural evolution is not just about showing creative
invention, but also, just as or more importantly, is about social transmission ensur-
ing that recently invented artefacts or practices are maintained until they are modi-
fi ed or improved in the process (Tomasello
1999
). We believe that computer
networks, with their unlimited capacity to store information, are magnifi cent,
unique, in this regard. Never in human history have we possessed such effi cient
repositories for cultural knowledge or for the establishment of social relations. In
fact, until now, these functions, as a whole, were especially complied with by cities
(Mumford
1961
). Because of computer networks, access to information, to our digi-
tal narratives, is transformed into knowledge in a context in which modern-day
people (and we assume that this will increase for the people of the future) use past
experiences or narratives, those of our present, in a way that is orientated at trans-
formation and, therefore, at the future. Cultural evolution, which depends on inno-
vation, is heading towards an increasingly greater bed (a richer and more varied
memory of the past) on which the imagination of the future may rest. Previous nar-
ratives, and their experience, can provide the lessons that need to be overcome, in
accordance with our current knowledge. The evolution of knowledge, cultural evo-
lution, the changing of stories, of human beings' narratives, seems like it will never
cease.
