Activist as an Information Compiler
A more generalized form of accessibility.
Definition
Activist?
Let's summarize the definition here.
Here, the term "activist" refers to all individuals who are actively engaged in activities.(Well... This doesn't explain anything...)
A person working for a company, a person who is active in some communities, an independent OSS developer, etc...
There are many ways to be active, but one thing is common to all of them.
Form of Information
Information comes in many forms. Text data, audio data, and of course, what you are thinking.
In some cases, "what you are not thinking" can also be information.
These have deferent priorities, and the way they are handled varies depending on the situation.
Dynamic and Static Information
Information can be classified into dynamic and static.
Dynamic:
- Conversation
- What you are thinking
- etc...
Static:
- Text data
- Audio data
- etc...
This ways of classifying is quite subjective, but as a rule of thumb, it is the difference between "tampering preparedness" and "tampering traceability".
And I strongly believe that one of the roles of activists is to "compile dynamic information related to activities into static information".
This is because static information has many values.
Values of Static Information
Accessibility
First of all, let's think about accessibility.
Accessibility here is different from context in web accessibility.
It is a more generalized concept that goes beyond the scope of web content.
As an activist, there are several restrictions on access to information:
- Time constraints
- Processing power constraints
- Memory constraints
First of all, it's time. Dynamic information cannot be shared with others across time.
Not everyone is present and talking at the same time.
In the micro context, "meetings" are a good example. Of course, some people cannot participate because the schedule does not match.
In the macro context, "generational change (handover)" and "catching up on new participation" are good examples. It is valuable to have the way of thinking and what has been done at that time statically summarized for knowing the past events and history.
Next is processing power. Human processing power varies from person to person.
Some people understand things quickly, while others do not.
Even if you are in the same place at the same time and share your thoughts, the ability to process that information varies.
Static information that complements this is very valuable.
Finally, memory. Human memory is limited.
It is common to forget, and it is common for information to be altered somewhere.
Moreover, static information that is persistent and resistant to alteration is very valuable as a complement to memory.
Machine Readability
This word also appears in the context of web content, but there is an analogy in this story as well.
Dynamic information is difficult for machines to read.
On the other hand, static information is easy for machines to read.
If you dare to mix it with recent hot topics, static information can be input directly into LLM.
Issues
We have understood that static information has various values, and that activists have a role in creating that value.
However, the problem is that "the ability to convert dynamic information into static information is different for each person, and training is required to improve". This ability is different from the so-called "summarizing ability" or "ability to effectively communicate with others".
The "compiler" must not change the meaning between input and output.
It means that it is necessary to convert dynamic information into static information without losing as much information as possible.
Thoughts, feelings, atmosphere, flow, and so on at that time.
It is difficult to convert these into static information without excess or deficiency.
But this ability is necessary for us activists. Let's train ourselves.