I was thinking today about how interesting it would be to read someone's blog back to the '20s or '30s, if they had existed at the time... The obvious follow-up question is "How many of today's blogs will still be around in 40 or 50 years?"
It's an intriguing question. How many really have the tenacity to write regularly about their comings and goings for their entire life? The kids who are blogging now will probably give it up when they go to college, maybe when they move somewhere and take their first job... Who knows what percentage of them will take it up again...
All I know is that if people continue these sites, at least some of them will be an incredible trove of introspection for future generations. Imagine being able to read hundreds of differing accounts of September 11, 50 years hence...
The potential of this medium is not only in connecting people in the here and now, but also in documenting the feeling of a particular moment in history, according to individuals... A chorus of unique voices that will inevitably convey something much more nuanced than AP or Reuters ever could.
I remember when my Grandfather was in his last days. My mother set up the video camera, brought me into the sunroom of my grandparents' house, and told me to ask him about what his life was like... What was life like during the infamous great depression, which he had lived through, seen with his own eyes? He talked about a number of things that had struck him, especially about helping the many homeless migrants get by, even while he was struggling to make ends meet.
The more voices we can save for posterity, the better. The human stories that we can tell are what bring meaning to our lives — not technology or science, or even progress. Let's not waste the opportunity we've been given, to pass on some of the meaning we find in our lives. Let's embrace it.
We will soon be accessing the Internet via different medium. Information will be readily available to anyone and everyone, even more than it is now.
How much information will be enough?
Will people spend their lives downloading as many facts and figures as they possibly can?
Let's just hope that our humanity is not sacrificed and remember that it's okay to just hang out. To talk about nothing. To relax and smile and enjoy wherever the waves take us. Sounds sappy?
In college, I took a class on Magazine Writing. We read tons of human interest articles. Some were worthwhile, others were of absolutely no interest to me. Still, each and every article conveyed a sense of humanity. Some stories even made me wish there were feature films about them.
I don't think we'll lose our human qualities anytime soon. I also think that many of us understand the importance of history. Not just the facts, but also the feelings conveyed by those facts.
I think you're right. :)
It's still easy for people to lose track of meaning in the deluge of information on the net though...
We have to learn how to trash or ignore the useless bits much better than we do now, and focus on the meaningful bits. Not that everything has to be serious, just that it should have human value... :) eh? :)
Posted by: Trevor Hill at September 3, 2002 06:52 PM
I've been able to bring entries from 1994 or so along with me as I move from format format. If what you are doing is expressing your thoughts, I think that although the structure may change, it will continue to be interesting and the good bits will keep getting better with age. I love going back and reading old entries in other people's as well as my own web page...
Posted by: Joi Ito at September 5, 2002 07:26 PM
Ditto!
Man... When I look back even a couple of months now, it's really great to be able to see what I was thinking. These thoughts usually just go by so fast, I never remember where I've been...
It's very neat to be able to go back and see some of that, way after I've forgotten a certain subject ever crossed my mind... :)
Posted by: Trevor Hill at September 6, 2002 10:25 AM
Posted by: Yuki Kim Hill at September 3, 2002 05:29 PM