Saturday, July 27, 2002

The question of wasteful blogs may seem like a so-what--if people want to burn their lives away posting to weblogs, what harm is it to anyone else? But the twist here is that while the sales pitch of blogs is their opportunity for self-expression, their function may be to create a massive, multi-segmented temple of ego worship. And if that exists by the hundreds of thousands, it's worth noticing the addition to our environment. In a broken world, we seek opportunities to project ourselves, our names, our lives, in sometimes god-like ways, and the Internet is a classic example. The post from above--"Well, here I am, I don't know what to write"--is one of the many sites where Having A Site is a priority over having something to say, in part because Having A Site means its Mine and my name is out there. That's why I try to make my blog more about issues, news, and writing than about Me.

Andy Dehnart, whose Web and writing accomplishments I respect, says he likes following certain weblogs where he can encounter different personalities, different dramas and even different characters in the stories that are unfolding in real time. But to me most weblogs sound the same--they're written in the same voice and sound and feel a lot a like. I know there are exceptions. But overall it seems to be digital narcissism--falling in love with your reflection on the screen.

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