A common theme in this week’s discussion was the evolution of communication techniques and media and audience interaction from the era covered by The Ghost Map to today. The topic underlies this week’s thread topics of the various media used to relay information, the obstruction of truth in communication by bias and reliance on conventional wisdom, and Dr. Snow’s map as predecessor of modern Internet map-generating sites.
Meta-Comment: Representing Information in The Ghost Map
Obviously, the primary topic this week is "The Ghost Map" and how it's more than just a good read. There were three main topics this time around: Power, Representation of Information, and the Purpose of Dot Maps. Beginning with the launch post by Moira regarding dot maps, we are reminded that the "map showed the result and source of the epidemic" (emphasis in original). She emphasizes that maps of this type serve to show us human behavior in a form that's easy to take in all at once; it is a concise summary that is visual versus verbal.
Thus far my posts on The Ghost Map have focused on how power operates within the book, specifically within the miasma theory discussed by author Steven Johnson. In this post, I'd like to discuss how figures like Henry Whitehead and John Snow overcome the problem of power, and successfully solve the riddle of the cholera outbreak against seemingly insurmountable odds.
First, a definition: what do I mean by the 'problem of power'? In this post, I specifically refer to ways in which power is overcome, the ways in which, in this case, the mystery of the cholera outbreak is solved.
The representation of information surfaces as a prominent theme throughout Johnson’s The Ghost Map. In this post, I’d like to open a discussion regarding the ways in which written text and visual maps serve as key modes of communication and technological tools. Moreover, I’d also like to explore the ways in which these issues relate to professional writing.
“ In the long run, the map was a triumph of marketing as much as empirical science. It helped a good idea find a wide audience.” (pg. 199)
“ In the long run, the map was a triumph of marketing as much as empirical science. It helped a good idea find a wide audience.” (pg. 199)