I have reached page 100 or so. So far it is a reasonably enjoyable book. I think it rambles and dives around a bit, but there are some really solid points that Mr. Shirky makes. I don't think they are all that profound but it provides for a reasonably strong argument why we should not be so worried about the vast changes occurring in our social worlds, and why we certainly should not try to fight the beast.
I only want to bring up one thing I specifically enjoyed at a time so I can write somewhat in depth reflective material. Around page 90 he started talking about fame and how the concept of fame applied to an online broadcast medium, such as a blog. His main point is that, so long as someone becomes famous on the internet, the internet stops being an interactive medium and starts becoming a one to many medium where any sort of reciprocal communication cannot occur.
These people that become "famous" bloggers are the ones most like the published writers we are familiar with in the print world. Almost all of the other bloggers are participating in a content creation activity that is not necessarily meant for the masses. They are creating their material for their friends and family to read and comment on. It just so happens that anyone in the world can, if they decide to, read the material. But this does not mean it is a typical broadcast such as the ones to be found on the radio or the television. I thought this distinction was a very important one to make that was not necessarily all that intutive. Many of us have difficulty believing anyone would choose to use a blog as a means of personally discussing topics that one would discuss with someone in person in a very informal fashion.
Good stuff.
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2 comments:
I'm not too familiar with any "famous bloggers" but it seems that their popularity is undeniable. It's allowing everyday folks without a journalism degree to write and publish their thoughts and ideas on a broad range of topics. Will the bloggers ever make the jump to mainstream media once their reputation and work is known well enough online? It happened to that Tila Tequila girl so it could also happen for a middle aged man with a handlebar mustache and love handles (if his content is good enough of course). -Jono P!
It is difficult to distinguish who is a Journalist... at what point do they become a professional? As Jono said, when is their content good enough for them to publish articles in mainstream media? I like Shirkey's definition of being famous: one who receives more attention than they are able to reciprocate. When a blogger's content is legitimate enough that he has so many readers he cannot humanly respond to all of their comments because their are not enough minutes in the day, he or she has become famous. There is probably a reason their content is so popular... maybe they have become "mainstream".
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