I remember first accessing the internet. If you wanted to know something you’d hit up a chatroom via one of the crappy browser chatrooms or IRC. Doing this you’d meet a ton of people. You’d break the ice by them helping you with your problem, or you helping them with theirs. You’d solve your problem and when you came back, you could discuss your solution. Heck, that’s all it took to meet a friend. Today, If you ask a question on the internet your first reply will be “google it” and the second reply will be a link to the first result of a google search by someone that did google it. You’ve got no connection to either of these people. They’re the extra step in the chain to getting information. The internet has killed one of my favorite forms of meeting people!
So, now you go to a blog or forum and you try to interject yourself into an ongoing conversation or debate but you’re too scared someone is going to pick apart your post bit by bit because you aren’t allow to post anything that isn’t certified, verified, or circumcised. This means every time you have a thought you have to check wikipedia to make sure you’re right. Then you have to hope Wikipedia is right, but you can’t admit you used wikipedia as a source because “You can’t trust wikipedia!” By the time you check and recheck your facts your opinion on the topic has changed, but you’re damn sure not going to admit that to anyone so you just decide you had better not post or publish your blog.
This is what it’s like for me most days. I set here, typing out crap, re-reading what I typed, fact checking, and by the time it’s all said and done, I’ve wasted 2 hours RESEARCHING shit I really didn’t care about in the first place. After all of this, I’ve pretty much countered every one of my own arguments. I’ve ran the entire discussion through my head and really there’s no reason to post because I’m now bored of the topic. I really don’t want to talk about it anymore and posting it would require me to come back and actually defend the crap that just spewed from my fingertips.
I dunno.. Maybe I’m jaded…
agree. it’s nuts.
I can understand what you are saying completely. I tend to write and re-write in my head for a day or so before I post anything. My blog is a social blog. A spewing of the crap that swims through my cranium. And I still agonize over what goes on that page, because it just seems so useless to delete it or change it once it has been posted.
Namaste.
Phils last blog post..Jubilee Day is coming!!
Maybe that’s why people just post about their cats…
eriks last blog post..Hmm.
Phil – Namaste
erik – You know, you’re probably right. Maybe I should start posting cat pictures also.