The American Culture

Last night's episode of the Fox Network medical-mystery series House included a Big Event meant to shock the show's viewers and send the story line in an interesting new direction, as one of the main characters of the series was killed.

As it happens, the show's fans figured out exactly who it would be, several days in advance of the program's airing, as the kind of public conversation the Internet makes so easy enabled a mass pooling of information and instant critiquing of same.

This almost instantaneous accumulation and processing of information makes the web something of a superbrain. Yes, figuring out the plot twists of television shows may not be the most productive use of people's time and brainpower, but this somewhat frivolous achievement does indicate the impressive potential of the internet as a mass information processing tool.

This capability makes the internet simultaneously a potential source of astonishing public benefits and the most powerful generator of nonsense ever created.

An interesting side note (plot spoiler follows): Entertainment Weekly revealed this morning that Kal Penn, who played the character who died in last night's episode, will be leaving the show to join the Obama administration as associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison.

I have no idea what that particular agency is, but I'm quite sure it's a good deal less useful than a good TV mystery series.

—S. T. Karnick