Information Velocity

One of the more famous super hero characters is "The Flash." as his title suggests, his super power is that he is extremely fast - even faster than Superman, who, as everyone knows, is "faster than a speeding bullet." Flash's opponents have a very tough time defeating him because of his great speed. They simply cannot keep up with it. Consequently, Flash usually wins the day before they even know what is going in. Yay Flash. He is fictional proof that speed is hard to overcome almost under any circumstances. Flash, of course, is not the only thing that travels with breathtaking velocity. Specifically, I am talking about information.

Whether it is true or false, complex or simple, when information leaves the starting gate it even gives The Flash a run for his money.  Over the years, Flash's enemies and admirers have come to greatly respect his power. In the real world, however, I am not so sure how much followers of information truly respect its power and speed. I say that because of the great effort so many folks put into trying to use information for ill-purpose or try to stifle it. Information is not meant to be held back or curtailed. Rather, it needs to be allowed to do what it is supposed to do: inform. Nevertheless, there seem to be those who combat that.

I am thinking of professional communicators who have come to be called "spinmeisters." These men and women pretend to be proponents of information, yet actually strive to manipulate it for their own gain. The fact is they are not any more admirers of information than they are of an enlightened population. These hired hands seek to use information to manipulate and control. In other words, they are enemies of information and all who look to it to be informed. The irony is information, even with its great speed, is neither good nor bad. Left alone, it simply is. Allies of information are the ones who respect that and dedicate themselves to letting its dependents decide for themselves how best to use it.