The university of social media
INFORMATION access today is at a new high. Everything can be researched on the internet with the flick of a finger on the enter key. It is amazing how one can find so much information and data accessible within seconds: from Google, learning that the distance of the sun from the earth is approximately 93 million miles, or 149 million kilometers, or with a speed of 149,000,000 km/speed of 28,000 (it will take 5,321 hours or 222 days to reach it), to approximately how many hairs you have on your head (more than 100,000 — about 50 to 100 strands fall out each day due to washing, brushing or combing but are constantly being replaced).
Not only can data be instantly accessed and sent, but also videos, photos and music at the drop of a hat.
One can easily watch music videos, do-it-yourself videos, learn magic tricks, know what to visit in any country, learn science, and visit art museums. There is a wide array of learning and researching. One gets a perspective of new viruses and their mutations, medical and homeopathic cures for whatever ailments may arise. The spectrum of knowledge is overwhelming.
I have observed, however, that these videos are getting to be more partial, more subjective than objective. And here is where its greatest weakness lies: judgments are hastily made, opinions are projected as truth, conclusions are made with only limited sets of facts designed to mold certain mindsets and attitudes in individuals and societies. The shallower the conclusion, the faster it is accepted by many viewers as the only truth. This is dangerous.
Many social media sites have become global opinion columns. It can foment chaos, popularity, anarchy, love, a rainbow gamut of emotions, and of life.
Many people mistake formal learning with video tutorials that are incomplete in information.
Take for example a “how to learn violin in a few minutes” video tutorial which promises to enable one to play a violin piece in less than an hour. One will need to download a violin fingerboard pattern which indicates finger positions from a link that is provided. Then you have to download a special music sheet with lyrics. Numbers (for fingers) are placed on top of the lyrics with letters G, D, A, E to indicate which string to use:
A. The tutor proceeds to show the viewer how to correctly hold the violin bow with the right fingers, how to bend the fingers to correctly conform to a certain position;
B. The viewer is shown how to hold the violin correctly using similar methods;
C. One is then told to place sticker-marker dots with different colors on the fingerboard. Then the tutor explains the color-coded dots corresponds to your finger #1, #2, #3 & #4;
D. The tutor then shows you a close-up of the fingers while playing the piece. and voila, you can already play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”!
E. The last part is, of course, the disclaimer. The tutor declares that there is much more to learn in holding the bow and the violin correctly and discreetly mentions experience and expertise as the basis for trusting this particular tutorial. End of video.
It looks easy, it’s something that anyone can do. Anybody can play violin in less than an hour! My comments on the sections mentioned above:
A & B. Holding the bow and violin properly depends on the physical make-up of the learner. Each individual’s body, fingers, hands, chins, shoulders etc., are made differently. Just showing the tutor do it cannot translate to the same with the learner;
C. Since the learner has zero knowledge, how can he/she know where to put these dots exactly on the fingerboard? A position of 1 millimeter off is enough to play out of tune.
Also, the dots mentioned conform only to a specific key. The learner is unaware that there are many different finger positions for each key;
D. Without explaining the time signature involved and note values (whole note, half note etc.), how can the learner understand why a certain note has to be played longer than the others?
And so, the learner is able to play the tune in less than an hour. However, this does not guarantee that the learner plays it correctly, nor well. In fact, there exists the very clear possibility of playing it badly with too much bow pressure on the strings (squeaking, scratching), or insufficient pressure of the bow on strings, which were left untaught.
Outside of the video, one needs to learn many, many basics before actually being able to play. There is no shortcut for correctly playing an instrument; this applies to all video tutorials.
In conclusion, I advise everyone to take these tutorial videos with a grain of salt.