Even tumblr is lame predictable nowadays :/ I’d say bring back MSN, mirc, forum discussions. Or at least remove algorithms from our social connections…. Idk like having an option to turn them off?? I’ve been recurring to digital minimalism because the way algorithm/social media is making me slow and dumb is noticeable. I miss when I could deal with boredom, or at least took time to observe tangible things while being bored.
Great thoughts about how coincidence helps adult scholars, which got me to thinking about my teen students. Some of them, the ones who have been allowed to steep themselves in the online world for years, probably haven't experienced the joy of coincidence. I've had students in my writing courses whose fiction reads like (and was literally inspired by) a videogame. Life, to them, has been presented as a series of binary choices that lead to a predetermined end. No wonder why college profs are seeing students who are less curious, less able to handle healthy debate, and who don't seem motivated to improve their minds. In the world that's been presented to them, the appropriate choices will simply appear before them. Coincidence is dismissed as irrelevant.
I know the perspective here is about arts creativity, but you nudge against scientific creativity here as well.
"I’ve occasionally come across weird, lesser-known papers that helped me craft more unique arguments than if I had just used more widely known sources". In science, it is the other way around. Coincidences found during experimentation or data analysis lead to creative argument creation that can then be tested. Without a creative mind to create possible reasons WHY, would a scientist connect mould with antibiotics? Want to electrocute a frog? Science would have little if not for coincidence and creativity...
I'd love to meet you on the street sometime. Alas, not to be because you are there and I am here. Oh well.
I agree; coincidences are great. And that weird thing where you stumble across something that relevant? Happened to me not so long ago - on SM of all places. There's a piece of research I'm doing here, and I stumble across a woman who is in the 'field', in Vienna, where my research stems from, so I email her, and I get information from her that helps me. Nice.
This is the most meaningful way I've seen anyone describe that creativity and coincidence were never really exciting! It's just amazing how the human mind can perceive things more friendlier than a robot can.
I brought this up with my teen students after I read it. They were flabbergasted by, vexed by, and then inspired. I challenged them to consider seeking out ways to generate coincidence in their lives, and we agreed that one thing they needed to do is get out into the real world more. Thanks for this thought-provoking piece!
Totally, it feels like creativity or development of new ideas should be divergent, but because of algorithms, and the constant propagation of similar ideas – which also leads to formation of biases – is making newer 'content,' if you will, convergent and that is definitely the death of creativity, and also hinders creative confidence in some capacity.
This resonated with me on so many levels. As an educator, I see the results of the algorithm directing students to the same research. It makes me sad that we’re driving away originality. As a writer, I am excited to have the vastness of research only a few clicks away, yet I’m cynical enough to know that it’s not actually vast unless I’m a persistent searcher.
Basically we need to bring back 2014 tumblr and BEING RANDOM XD
Even tumblr is lame predictable nowadays :/ I’d say bring back MSN, mirc, forum discussions. Or at least remove algorithms from our social connections…. Idk like having an option to turn them off?? I’ve been recurring to digital minimalism because the way algorithm/social media is making me slow and dumb is noticeable. I miss when I could deal with boredom, or at least took time to observe tangible things while being bored.
Humans thriving on stories is so real. We are nothing without the narrations of all our experiences.
The outliers are the interesting bits of statistics
Outliers make me want to go for the why. The story behind them :)
Great thoughts about how coincidence helps adult scholars, which got me to thinking about my teen students. Some of them, the ones who have been allowed to steep themselves in the online world for years, probably haven't experienced the joy of coincidence. I've had students in my writing courses whose fiction reads like (and was literally inspired by) a videogame. Life, to them, has been presented as a series of binary choices that lead to a predetermined end. No wonder why college profs are seeing students who are less curious, less able to handle healthy debate, and who don't seem motivated to improve their minds. In the world that's been presented to them, the appropriate choices will simply appear before them. Coincidence is dismissed as irrelevant.
I know the perspective here is about arts creativity, but you nudge against scientific creativity here as well.
"I’ve occasionally come across weird, lesser-known papers that helped me craft more unique arguments than if I had just used more widely known sources". In science, it is the other way around. Coincidences found during experimentation or data analysis lead to creative argument creation that can then be tested. Without a creative mind to create possible reasons WHY, would a scientist connect mould with antibiotics? Want to electrocute a frog? Science would have little if not for coincidence and creativity...
Cool source here: https://www.npr.org/2016/02/24/467805055/whoops-twelve-tales-of-accidental-brilliance-in-science
I'd love to meet you on the street sometime. Alas, not to be because you are there and I am here. Oh well.
I agree; coincidences are great. And that weird thing where you stumble across something that relevant? Happened to me not so long ago - on SM of all places. There's a piece of research I'm doing here, and I stumble across a woman who is in the 'field', in Vienna, where my research stems from, so I email her, and I get information from her that helps me. Nice.
This is the most meaningful way I've seen anyone describe that creativity and coincidence were never really exciting! It's just amazing how the human mind can perceive things more friendlier than a robot can.
This blog post was also meaningful to me!
Machines DO NOT THINK. Artificial intelligence is not an intelligence but a highly performing search engine.
Framing "creativity" as "creating connections from randomness" is such a practical angle to encourage it
I brought this up with my teen students after I read it. They were flabbergasted by, vexed by, and then inspired. I challenged them to consider seeking out ways to generate coincidence in their lives, and we agreed that one thing they needed to do is get out into the real world more. Thanks for this thought-provoking piece!
such a great piece
Totally, it feels like creativity or development of new ideas should be divergent, but because of algorithms, and the constant propagation of similar ideas – which also leads to formation of biases – is making newer 'content,' if you will, convergent and that is definitely the death of creativity, and also hinders creative confidence in some capacity.
This resonated with me on so many levels. As an educator, I see the results of the algorithm directing students to the same research. It makes me sad that we’re driving away originality. As a writer, I am excited to have the vastness of research only a few clicks away, yet I’m cynical enough to know that it’s not actually vast unless I’m a persistent searcher.
Loving this post.
Excellent post 👏🏼