In response to Nicole’s question

Nicole asked: I wonder, why should we assume ourselves to be computers simply because we work with them, specifically in regard to MIDI?

According to good old Wikipedia, a MIDI is a Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Which is basically a way of allowing all musical instruments to work together digitally through computer interfaces.

I think that Lanier’s point was that music pre-MIDI was extremely dynamic and rich. A MIDI is able to take all of those sounds and place them into the diameters of a rigid system. That is not to say that music is no longer dynamic or robust in nature, but it is becoming more computerized. This makes me think of bands like “The Postal Service,” while their music is very interesting, it has an incredibly computerized MIDI sound to it.

It seems to me that Lanier’s fear is that one day we will all be put into small diameters like music has been put into MIDI notes. I’m not sure that I believe his theory in whole but I understand where he is coming from. People are categorized by their Facebook likes and interests, and by what they post on Twitter. It is as if we are making ourselves small enough to fit into status boxes all on our own. I think that Lanier’s point is that we should try to break free from this digital mold and be different like music can be different than just the regimented notes that MIDI provides for it.