Facebooking the Anthropocene in Raja Ampat: Technics and Civilization in the 21st Century

by Bob Ostertag

 Facebooking the Anthropocene in Raja Ampat is a deeply intimate look at the cataclysmic shifts between humans, technology, and the so-called natural world. Despite the breakneck pace of both technological advance and environmental collapse, Bob Ostertag explores how we ourselves are changing as fast as the world around us—from how we make music, to how we have sex, to what we do to survive, and who we imagine ourselves to be. And though the environmental crisis terrifies and technology overwhelms, Ostertag finds enough creativity, compassion, and humor in our evolving behavior to keep us laughing and inspired as the world we are building overtakes the world we found. A true polymath who covered the wars in Central America during the 1980s and then published more than 20 CDs of music, 5 books on startlingly eclectic subjects, and a feature film, Ostertag fuses his travels as a touring musician with his journalist's eye for detail and the long view of a historian. Wander the world both physical and intellectual with him. Watch Buddhist monks take selfies while meditating. Ponder artificial intelligence with street kids in Java. Talk sex with porn stars who have never in their lives had sex off camera. Watch DJs who make millions of dollars pretend to turn knobs in front of crowds of thousands. Play World of Warcraft on remote Asia islands with indigenous people. Shiver with families huddling through the stinging Detroit winter without heat or electricity. Meet Spice Islanders who have never seen flushing toilets yet have gay hookup apps on their smartphones. Our best writers have struggled with how to address the catastrophes of our time without looking away. Ostertag succeeds where others have failed, with the moral acuity of Susan Sontag, the technological savvy of Lewis Mumford, and the biting humor of Jonathan Swift.

176 pages, Paperback

Published July 6, 2021

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author decades ago in San Francisco through mutual friends, and as I recall, he was very nice. But as I recall he was so hot it was unbearably intimidating, I couldn't look at him much less talk to him, no matter how nice he was. The mutual friends moved away and I lost track of him. So naturally I was curious to read the book, which turns out to be fascinating.

The title essay is subtitled "Notes on a One-Year Concert Tour," and the reader benefits from the variety of places around the world the author went on this tour. The title of the short middle essay is the one that made me buy the book: "Are two dimensions enough? The networked screen and the human imagination." Originally written in 2006, it's brilliant when read today. The final essay, "Technics Turntables and Civilization" surprised me by being more interesting than I expected. This author is thoughtful and wise and has unexpected perspectives that I found very enjoyable.

I'm giving the book 5 stars because it's all good stuff, and I could see that it was three essays before I bought it. I'm still wishing it had been a unified book instead of a series of essays, but that's on me, and not the author. He gets to write the book he wants to, and if I want something else, I had better get to work writing it. Meanwhile, thanks to Bob Ostertag for three really good reads!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know that, despite having some benefits, technology is destroying the world. This book examines that from a very interesting angle.

[Stefano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magnificent book. It looks at how the transition of going into the modern, technologically advanced society we have today and looks at how it has affected developed and developing nations, the music industry, and our personal lives. It's interesting to get a developing nations perspective of their shift into technology, as they are experiencing it recently in their lives as it can change them for the better (dealing with starting their own businesses and getting them running) or for worse (dealing with getting drowned into your smart phone). Bob Ostertag also discusses the tourist and traveling industries and how it affects developing nations as well, which got me all riled up and a little upset about traveling to places and mass-tourism. Another point that he discussed that I found interesting was how technology has shifted the music industry and the connection to Glenn Gould's essay.

It's interesting as it gives you hope about technology and the future of it as to what it can bring society, but it's saddening as all we eventually end up with is the abuse of technology, from a consumer stand point, where we spend hours invested in pointless scrolling, as well as the abuse of big tech industries that provide this pointless scrolling to collect data on consumers. A person starting his business in a developing nation said the one thing he wanted to see in America if he traveled was Facebook or Instagram as if they were amusement parks, yet they're these sad corporate giant tech industries that could care less about him. But, I think it's interesting as to how technology has also helped people, like the man who built his business off Instagram, but also how the music hierarchy can be easily breached by someone who doesn't know any music theory, but learned how to spin knobs or use software. Bob discussed how black musicians back in the 1920s didn't have access to musical education that white musicians had for playing classical music, but they listened to records over and over again eventually learning pieces and playing them but then maybe adding some improvisation to it and it birthed jazz. I think technology in some way has brought that same sense of self-learning, but musically inspired musicians even though they may be playing "loops", sometimes that's all you need is a "loop". Obviously it takes away from the sophistication of the sound of music, but I'd also argue that there's sophistication in the simple, and what you can do with it as we have seen with Pop music throughout the years.

Overall, I think this book is a must-read. It provided me with more self-awareness in topics I never thought about before and I think it would do the same for you.

[kristina zrncikova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving 4 stars for the first 60-70 pages. The rest concerning the evolution of music was outside the scope of my interest.