The good, the bad and the trivial


I am of two minds when it comes to online publishing.

On the one hand, it represents the true democracy of the web, taking power from knowledge gatekeepers and continuing the tradition initiated by the printing press of bringing information to the masses.

The flip side, for as transient as it seems on the surface, it is a permanent medium. Nothing ever truly disappears once it makes it’s way online, and the implications of this archival and summative nature are yet to be fully realized. Everyone from employers to prospective dates can mine the aggregate information of your online existence, and the crossover of offline to online live becomes ever more common.

While I have little desire for the musings of my twenty’s to follow me the rest of my days, I also choose to take the optimistic view that participation in the online community is more good than evil. Digital media is my field of study, and if I plan to make it a career, it seems wise to do more than just observe.

Plus, with friends and family drifting geographically, the web can keep the world small and perhaps prevent me from having as many conversations with the houseplants.