Sometimes I say something to someone in jest, and it’s only later that I realize just how true it is.
Today’s edition: “Because I’ve gotten too lazy to actually visit web pages anymore”
In particular, I’m thinking of what some would call the “RSS Revolution.” Those of us who aren’t quite as apt to latch on to catch phrases might describe it as a change to subscription-based delivery. I only recently set up a feed reader, but I think I’m beginning to understand what everybody is so excited about. It’s definitely different to be able to get the latest updates from a bunch of web sites almost in real time instead of keeping a folder of bookmarks that would get checked weekly at most.
Even before I uttered this remarkably poignant statement, I’d been thinking about the nature of blogging. I remember being floored about a year ago when I was talking with my parents and tried to explain what a “web log” was, only to get the reply “we know what blogs are.” Back in the day, blogging was something only done by geeks like me. Back then, I called it a “news” page, and was under the rediculous impression that people actually read it. This time around, I started out thinking that the only person who would read it would be me. I was pretty shocked when I found out that at least one of my friends does read it.
Even stranger, a lot of my friends keep blogs. I don’t know what inspires them to do it, since it seems everyone who does has a different reason, and they’ve never broached the subject publically. I think the reason I’m doing it this time around is just because it’s a fun exercise to try to turn a bunch of jumbled thoughts about a subject into a coherent article. It’s also pretty handy to have a place to rant when I’m feeling particularly irked about something. For me, writing was always something I dreaded. Now it’s surprisingly addictive. From what I’ve read, it seems like a lot of other people have found that they enjoy writing when it’s in the form of a blog.
Whatever the reasons people use to justify putting their thoughts and feelings on a web page (and RSS feed!), the fact that they’re doing it is, in my opinion, an important shift in how society is working. A diary used to be something that you never let anyone read; I remember that they even sold diary books with locks on them. Now it’s something that people halfway across the globe can find with a simple technorati search. Feelings used to be something that people had to sense by observing body language and carefully determining the meaning behind what people said. Now bloggers are writing their feelings down in surprisingly honest terms and summarizing with a “mood icon.”
So what does it all mean? I’m still not sure. Whereever this “revolution” goes, I think it’s going to be exciting. Will the podcast become the new blog? Maybe. Will people start filming bits of their lives and “vidcasting”? Perhaps. Will the new, social face of the internet change the way people interact with one another? Definitely. I think it already has.