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His antidote is curation and archiving – and an easy form of curation, recommendation. Because these are human acts – they respect the work and create networks of connection, either one-on-one or within a community.

“Someone had to care enough to tell me what they liked, and I had to care enough to trust them and give it a fair try. Such cultural recommendations—communicating approval—are social and moral acts. We tell each other that we like things the same way that bees perform dances to pass on the location of a particularly fruitful flower. The very act brings us together.”

He emphasizes the responsibility of curation – that it’s not just what you like, but it’s also about an audience and how their reactions or perceptions may affect how they receive the information. I realized I do this when I recommend a book to someone – I take into account who they are, what they like reading, what I know about them, and how they may be affected by the book.

But the person receiving the recommendation should also be openminded about it and trust the recommender enough to give it a chance.

“Recommendations between people are a two-way exchange: the curator must consider the value of what they are passing on, and the consumer must remain open-minded, giving up the option of skipping the track if it’s not immediately appealing.”

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