Inkcazelo Eninzi Ngokugqithiseleyo
KWINKULUNGWANE yama-20 kuye kwakho inkcazelo eninzi ngendlela engazange ibonwe. Enoba kusemaphepheni, kunomathotholo okanye kwiingxelo zikamabonwakude, kwi-Internet okanye ngezinye nje iindlela, ihlabathi lizaliswe yinkcazelo. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Data Smog—Surviving the Information Glut, uDavid Shenk ubhala athi: “Inkcazelo eninzi ngokugqithiseleyo iye yavela sele isisisongelo sokwenene. . . . Ngoku siyazi ukuba ngaminazana ithile siya kuze sibhukuxe yinkcazelo.”
Khawucinge nje ngomzekelo wephephandaba elinye elaziwayo. Kuthiwa uhlelo nje lweThe New York Times losuku olunye lweveki luqulethe inkcazelo eyayinokufunyanwa ngumntu oqhelekileyo owayephila kwiNgilani yenkulungwane ye-17, ngalo lonke ixesha lokudla kwakhe amazimba. Kodwa ukongezelela kwiphephandaba lemihla ngemihla, amaphephancwadi neencwadi ezahlukeneyo ezithetha ngemibandela emininzi gqitha zongezelela kwintaphane yenkcazelo eveliswayo. Kupapashwa amashumi amawaka eencwadi nyaka ngamnye. Ibe ekubeni inkcazelo engokwenzululwazi iphindaphindeka rhoqo emva kweminyaka emithandathu, akumangalisi ukuba ehlabathini lonke, oolindixesha bezobugcisa kuphela bangaphezu kwe-100 000. Ibe neInternet yenza intaphane yenkcazelo efumanekayo kwabo basebenzisa ikhompyutha.
Kuthekani ngamaphephancwadi? Oolindixesha bezoshishino, amaphephancwadi athetha ngamabhinqa, amaphephancwadi athetha ngabeshumi elivisayo, amaphephancwadi ezemidlalo nawokuzonwabisa—eneneni amaphephancwadi athetha phantse ngayo yonke imibandela nezinto ezithandwa ngabantu—azalise ihlabathi, onke afuna ukufundwa sithi. Kuthekani ngombhengezi—lowo “uzukisa izinto ezingenamsebenzi,” njengoko edla ngokuchazwa kakuhle ngolo hlobo? Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Information Anxiety, umbhali uRichard S. Wurman uthi: “Iinkampani ezibhengezayo ziye zazipheka zizophula iingqondo zethu ngokubhengeza izinto ezininzi ezifuna ukujongwa, ziphulaphulwe, zisezelwe zize zibanjwe.” Zima ngelithi ufanele ufumane into yakutshanje, ephuculweyo, ukuze “ungabi semva koobani.”
Isazi ngengqondo nomphandi ngezentlalo waseOstreliya uGqr. Hugh MacKay wathi ‘ihlabathi lizaliswe yinkcazelo ibe abantu batsalelwa ekubeni bazifikisele kanobom kweli cham lingaka lenkcazelo engumdliva.’ Njengokuba uGqr. MacKay ephawula, ingxaki isekubeni iindaba ngeendaba nemicimbi ngemicimbi yakutshanje ekwiinkqubo zikanomathotholo nezikamabonwakude, ekhatshwa yintaphane yeendlela ngeendlela zakutshanje zokudlulisela inkcazelo ngekhompyutha, konke oku kuye kwabatsho abantu abaninzi ehlabathini bathi swii yinkcazelo enezibakala neziganeko ezingaphelelanga, neziqhwalelayo.
Yintoni Inkcazelo?
Igama lesiLatini elithi informare (inkcazelo) linengcamango yokubumba into, kanye njengombumbi ebumba udongwe. Ngenxa yoko, ezinye iingcaciso zegama elithi “inform [ukuchazela]” zinentsingiselo “yokuxonxa ingqondo” okanye “ukubumba okanye ukuyalela ingqondo.” Abafundi abaninzi baya kukhumbula kakuhle ukuba kwithutyana nje elidlulileyo inkcazelo yayiludederhu nje lwezibakala okanye ingxelo esixelela ngeenkcukacha ezinjengokuba into yenziwe ngubani, phi, iyintoni yona, nini, okanye njani. Kwakungekho lulwimi lukhethekileyo okanye amagama achaza inkcazelo. Ekuphela kwento ekwakufuneka siyenze kukuyicela okanye siziphandele ngokwethu.
Kodwa kwafika le minyaka yee-1990, ibe ehlabathini kuye kwaveliswa intaphane yamagama amatsha ahlobene nenkcazelo kangangokuba ewodwa nje angakutsho intloko ijikeleze. Ngoxa amanye ala magama okanye amabinzana esenokuba lula aze aziwe ngokomlinganiselo othile njengelithi “infomania [inkcazelo eninzi ngokugqithiseleyo],” elithi “technophilia [ukubuthanda ngokugqithiseleyo ubugcisa]” nelithi “information age [isizukulwana senkcazelo],” kunokuba nzima gqitha ukwazi amanye. Namhlanje ihlabathi lizaliswe yinkcazelo eninzi ngokugqithiseleyo—inkolelo yokuba umntu onenkcazelo eninzi ubhetele kunabo bangakwaziyo ukuyifumana yaye inkcazelo, ayisafunelwa ukuphumeza okuthile, kodwa ukuze nje ubani abe nayo.
Lo mdla ugqithiseleyo uphenjelelwa yinkumbula yeenkqubo zonxibelelwano, njengomatshini wefax, imfonomfono ephathwayo nekhompyutha, zinto ezo ezigqalwa ngabanye abantu njengophawu lwesizukulwana senkcazelo. Liyinyaniso elokuba iikhompyutha zenza lula izinto, ziyakhawuleza yaye zinamandla, nto leyo eyenza inkcazelo ifumaneke ngendlela engazange ibonwe ngaphambili—kangangokuba uNicholas Negroponte weMassachusetts Institute of Technology, uthi: “Iikhompyutha azisasetyenziswa nje. Kodwa ziyindlela yokuphila.” Oko kuphumele ekubeni inkcazelo nezinto zobugcisa zokuyidlulisela zixatyiswe gqitha, maxa wambi zihlonelwe, ibe zinqulwe yinkungu nelanga yabantu mbombo zone zomhlaba. Iindaba zikamabonwakude neenkqubo ezixubusha imibandela yakutshanje ziye zathenjwa gqitha, ngoxa kuxutyushwa imfungumfungu eninzi kwiinkqubo zengxoxo zikamabonwakude ibe zamkelwa lula ngabantu abasoloko bengoovumazonke ngaphandle kokuhlalutya.
Kungenxa yokuba isizukulwana senkcazelo siye sayiguqula indlela esiphila nesisebenza ngayo kangangokuba abantu abaninzi namhlanje “banxunguphaliswa yinkcazelo” ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo. Kuthetha ntoni kanye kanye ukunxunguphaliswa yinkcazelo? Unokwazi njani ukuba nawe kuyakuthwaxa? Ngaba ikho into onokuyenza ngako?
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
Globe on pages 13, 15, and 20: Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.