Analog vs. Digital: NT-AS analogy??

Post Reply New Topic

I've often thought of the instinctive "program" that NTs have compared with that of somebody on the spectrum, like myself, and after years of experience noting differences and attempts to align myself to their ways, I can really see a metaphor of digital versus analog thinking. Digital being the bits or ones and zeroes and analog being a discrete, continuous trajectory.

The digital thinker = Aspergers, in the conventional sense: thinking in black and white terms ("context blindness", or nuance blindness), difficulty with spontaneous processing of social nuance ("go with the flow"), low tolerance for ambiguity and need for precise instructions BUT is very good at being precise and producing something of quality and accuracy with the single-minded focus. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) and GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) processing. If fed lies, half-truths, or sarcasm, cannot render meaningful response.

The analog thinker suggests NT mindset: thinking in emotional waves, the bigger picture, grey area, no discrete states, following change in emotional states with ease and responding in a continuous flow. However can be flaky and staticky without any concrete substance.

I like this analogy... a bit too in-depth for a lot of people, but I would say it's pretty accurate.

Although I do like analog clocks more than digital ones just because of the mechanical ingenuity and complexity...

I disagree intensely with this breakdown, as someone who's not particular good with digitial technology, but gets a lot of analog tech just fine. I really hate the "computer geek" stereotype that this perpetuates. It's a stereotype, despite its occasionally positive connotations... and stereotypes are ugly.

The idea that we're all tech whiz-kids, is, frankly, insulting.

I think it makes sense

I'm pretty sure that's not what the OP meant. I'm actually certain that the OP was talking in terms of thought processes and actions because of said thought processes. There was no real stereotype there. Analog signals are fairly unpredictible signals and they can travel just about anywhere at any given moment (on a whim, one might say), whereas a digital signal is focused and is mythodical, logical, and predictable.
"NT's" tend to do things on a whim and are unpredictable and illogical by nature, whereas most people with AS are logical, mythodical, are more predictable, and are more focused on things (special interests).
See the connection?

I like to use The Matrix Trilogy (movies) as my analogy. This is how I see it:
"NT's" are more like the Agents (who maintain the system (or in this case, society) at all cost), and people still jacked into The Matrix itself (who are not necessarily in agreement with the Agents, but are still a part of the system) who only want to live in blissful ignorance (as it were).

Those with AS are more like the hackers that fight the Agents to free people from the system and get them to realize the truth (we do exactly this by trying to get such people to understand AS and other ASD's and help them learn the facts/truth about it, all while dodging proverbial bullets (stereotypes/insults/etc.) from the "agents"), while having abilities (such as being extremely proficient with special interests) that some may see as "enhanced" or "impossible".

Obviously this analogy is for those mainly who've seen those movies because they'd likely understand all that, while people who haven't seen them, likely won't get it lol.

I think this is a useful start, BUT only a start in the process to define the autistic experience. For the mind, including consciousness is never black and white.

I am aware that throughout history there has been (and remains) a very rich and colorful collection of aspie non-literal and 'non extreme' logic thinkers, who have risen to prominance through their gifts. People such as Opal Whiteley, Hans Christian Anderson, Henry Thoreau, Lewis Carol, Peter Howson, Donna Williams just to name a few. And yet, autism is often only associated with extreme logic thinkers and those who interpret things as the OP has stated.

My theory on this is that those of a more right brain dominance within the spectrum are more likely to fall out the range of the 'aspie radar' due to their more advanced ability to adapt and creatively manage and hense consciously and unconsciously mask their neurological difference.

If this is the case, does anyone know where I can get a A/D converter?

This being a web forum, it is probably subject to self-selection by people who have at least a passing familiarity with the internet, (and probably a few with a fairly unhealthy obsession... but I don't want to get too deep into my last, extremely abusive relationshi with a psychotic hacker and how all the trauma from that relationship has led me to distrust a lot of techno-enthusiasts instinctively... because these people harassed me for years and made me extremely paranoid and on edge for a long time... I still freak out when I get a phone call from a blocked number, thinking it's some psycho hacker trying to ruin my life again, like they tried so many times before, by hacking my email and sending porn to my boss, by discovering my sexual secrets and hacking my facebook account to post about things that should absolutely never go beyond the bedroom.

But yeah, internet self selection. I'm an artistic, creative, out-of-the-box thinker, I have Asperger's, and I would appreciate a little more recognition of the diversity of people with Asperger's than that stereotype which I mentioned continues to be perpetuated by society itself as well as by other Aspies who are more comfortable with the internet/digital culture than I am... and perhaps are too enthusiastic about technnology or even obsessed with it. I've found that people like that frequently label anyone who disagrees with them a "Luddite," a designation that I, as a progressive, enlightened person interested in bettering society and people's lives, find extremely offensive.

But I hate hackers. I distrust them. I think of them as a faceless mob of chaotic evil. And given my many, many negative experiences with internet culture (my participation in this website is even an exception to my general rule of avoiding internet forums at all costs, I feel pretty justified about these feelings). So there, you have my biases. People who cared more about their computers than humanity, who believe that the freedom of information is more important than human dignity or privacy, harassed me ceaselessly for more than two years, during which time I suffered from being in an abusive relationship with a psychotic hacker girl. I can't even stand 4chan. I cut off all ties with anyone I knew who frequented any "chan" website, because I think that subculture is sick, twisted, degraded, immoral and unethical.

Last edited by Bartolome on 02 Nov 2012, 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Also, while hackers might make acceptable heroes in cyberpunk and sci-fi movies, they are far from heroes in real life. At best, they are nuisances. At worst, they are terrorists. And I have been on the receiving end of their manipulation and terror far too often, because I made the mistake of falling in love with the fake personality that my hacker ex used to manipulate, bully, and psychologically intimidate and traumatize me.

So yeah... the whole internet culture was pretty much irrevocably ruined for me. I even deleted my facebook account because I think facebook promotes unhealthy socialization practices. I know this seems judgmental but I feel pretty justified judging people who harassed and terrorized me for years.

Even friends of mine who identify as the more "benevolent" hackers, I found, have too close a tie to the sick, evil, twisted hacker subculture for me to continue to be friends with them. I struggle with some of my relationships with my more tech-obsessed friends, especially as they try and draw me into their digital world... I just plant my feet more and more firmly in the opposite direction, and only use technology when it enhances my life... but I find that social networking, especially, distorts social behavior and perceptions. Really, calling it "social" is like calling videogames "exercise."

Actually, that's not really a good analogy, since you need not see someone in person to be social with them.

I have aspergers as well, and I'm sorry about your bad experience with someone on the internet, but not every person you meet online will embrace technology, and not everyone who embraces technology is a hacker. That's like saying just because you met a guy and he is a d**k, that all guys are d**ks.
I've had my fair share of bad experiences online (hackers included) but I don't blame anyone but the hackers for what happened.
Technology isn't the problem, it's people who misuse that technology that's the problem, but for every hacker out there, there is at least one more who's targeting them (whether it be the FBI or just a run of the mill joe), either way, in the end, they get theirs.

I'm a futurist, so I not only embrace technology, but I also try to include it in most of what I do. I look forward to the days when technology evolves beyond what it currently is, including to an internet that can detect hacking technology and alert authorities to it's direct location.

There's actually one thing you can do that will help you when online: Trust No-one. Give nothing to anyone, and believe nothing.
The internet isn't the only place to meet bad people, but it may be the safest (seeing as in real life they can simply stalk your real life movements and do physical harm).
I'm not trying to change your mind, but rather give you another view to choose from.

Analogies comparing AS to NT thinking and experience are always very subjective.

I think Aspies tend to break down any analogy (regardless of its purpose) into minute component detail, and find problems with them.

This is a good example. The analogy works for the OP, but not for some of the responders. Not unusual at all. I don't think it really matters what the analogy is, somebody's going to find fault with certain aspects of it. All one has to do to find fault with any analogy is analyze it microscopically. But that misses the point of what an analogy is. Analogies aren't supposed to be perfect representations. They are used to make a point. The point is determined by the person making it.

It think the OP's use of digital vs. analog makes perfect sense as long as it isn't over analyzed.

If one accepts the application as given by the OP, and leaves it at that, it works just fine.

That's a wonderful critique of the extreme logic
mindset........many thanks

It wasn't just one guy. It was an entire subculture, harassing me for more than two years.

I'm a futurist too. I think a lot about how society could advance. And I like your idea of automatically detecting hacker activity.

idk, I'm not sure how every hacker could be in on harassing one person.

Anyway, yeah, that's one of the ways internet will be enhanced over time.