Liberation Transmission

I'm told that we are living in the Communication Age, made possible--of course--by contributions from our nearest ancestors, the Atomic Age and the Space Age. I believe, however, that the label of "Communication Age" is an inexact one. Yes, our channels of communication have improved vastly: the availability of cellular phones and access to the internet give allow us the means to engage one another with such speed and reliability that we stand in awe of how we ever managed to get along before. I suppose that must be the border that separates revolutions and ages, not being able to recall how you ever got along before it. Yet "Communication Age" suggests that we are, in fact, communicating, rather than merely chattering.

I argue that we are not living in a Communication Age but rather a Transmission Age; it is our ability to transmit (and receive) information that has undergone such a rapid expansion rather than the content of what we are saying. We have become so fascinated with being able to interact with other people as instantaneously and often as we like that we have not slowed down enough to think of anything to say.

I can describe an enjoyable movie as awesome, rad, mind-blowing, good, great, amazing, fantastic, fabulous, spectacular, bad-ass, the bomb, wicked, cool, pleasant, superb, delightful, phenomenal, incredible, marvelous, neat, nice, groovy, super, splendid, or any of a dozen other equally synonymous descriptors. Somehow, though, I can't manage to find a word for the moment when a person first becomes aware of the concept of death. To my knowledge there isn't a word for the time in autumn when some of the trees have begun to lose their leaves and other trees are just starting to have their leaves change color and yet other trees still haven't caught up to them just yet. And what's the word for all the acceptable lies that we tell children with the intent to preserve a sense of magic and wonder in the world?