The Origins of Networked Consciousness

From Merriam-Webster's online reference dictionary

Definition of NATIONALISM

1

: loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense ofnational consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.

Chapter three of "Imagined Communities" by Benedict Anderson is a  cautionary tale that spans over two centuries and examines long term affects of purposely interfering with the organic methods by which humans communicate.   The Origins of National Consciousness Mr. Anderson examines the consequences of creating a linguistic boundaries to specific and worthy citizens preventing widespread usage and eventually led to the slow death  of the Latin language all in the shadow of the emergence of Gutenberg's printing press.  

"The convergence of capitalism and print technology on the fatal diversity of human languagecreated the possibility of a new form of imagined community, which in its basic morphology set the stage for the modern nation."

For unknown reasons, as I read this I could not stop thinking about Steve Jobs 2007 MacWorld presentation of the original iphone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZYlhShD2oQ

I am not an Iphone owner, but it revolutionized how humans communicate and interact across virtual imagined networks.