I am trying to understand the phenomenon of decay of information that could be seen as data loss, although this is not how the term is defined by Wikipedia (data loss). It is not an intentional or accidental loss or destruction of data. What I am thinking of is more like the loss that occurs when a digital music file is saved in a lower bit rate or when an analogue sound gets clipped in the process of digitizing.
I suspect that the same is true of information and especially of ideas. The process of encoding them in a way that enables them to be disseminated on the web--or that encourages their dissemination--requires a loss of complexity or detail. The sharp edges get knocked off, and the parts that require more processing are left out.
The result is a flattening of experience, dulling of senses and of the intellect. It leaves one satisfied, in a way, and yet empty, in another way. In a world of ubiquitous information one seeks more information, one seeks something new, not predigested, not already worn down.
