In fact, I hope that maybe this is the start of some sort of backlash, or a sign post at least, that will lead to the realisation that we aren't in a playground or standing next to a graffiti wall where anything goes. Ultimately, those who push and peddle drivel because it is cheap, or free, will wake up to the fact that it does all need to be cogent and moderated, even, dare I say, edited.
To quote:
Keen, 47, presents a dystopian vision in which people endlessly Google themselves and expertise counts for nothing; online communities gather merely to confirm their own prejudices; internet television purports to showcase amateur talent but is dominated by corporate marketing; newspapers are driven to the wall by online advertising and news sites edited at the whimsical click of a mouse; and knowledge of history and literature becomes smothered by an avalanche of blogs from self-obsessed teenagers.
At the current rate, he writes, by 2010 there will be more than 500 million blogs, 'so dizzyingly infinite that they've undermined our sense of what is true and what is false, what is real and what is imaginary'.
Speaking to The Observer from his home in Berkeley, California, Keen explained why he is sceptical of a world where anyone can broadcast to an audience of millions via a webcam in their bedroom. 'What kind of media ecosystem is best to encourage, nurture and reward talent?' he said. 'I don't think this digital narcissism is it. People want to broadcast themselves rather than listen to what others are saying.'
He continued: 'I'm nostalgic for the world I grew up in where there was a clear distinction between author and audience. I'm not attracted or impressed by the idea of collapsing that distinction. It's hard to be good at what you're doing, it requires expertise. In the same way that not everyone should be doctors or teachers or astronauts, not everyone should be an author. Most people do not have anything interesting to say.'
I may be one of those he has in mind, but I still think he's right.
2 comments:
while i agree that not everyone can write and that not everyone can be interesting, i also think that there are some incredible writers out there who will never have books written and for whom biographies will never be composed.
in some ways i think that he should pull on his big girl panties and get over himself. yes, there are things on the internet that might best be left alone, but it also is a great way of getting information, comparison shopping and more.
i have to wonder about the sentence "people want to broadcast themselves rather than listen to what others are saying." most of the people whose blogs i read have very significant blog lists of people they read. look at your own. i know that i'm very interested in what other people have to say. otherwise I wouldn't spend close to 2 hours reading blogs that aren't mine.
I agree with his observations, but fail to share his concerns. It is as it ever was - those with something interesting to say will garner readers, those without, will not.
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