It had been sometime since I last wrote an entry in here. I am starting to think that maybe Facebook or Twitter may be taking over the possible hassle of blogs. But I do not think we will see the death of the blog, particularly this one as well. You may see me more relatively active on Facebook now, as I personally find it quite a neat way to keep in touch with your friends on the masses when abroad or those who do not read my blog without the need of personal emails which might give the wrong intentions otherwise.
Services like twitter are cool, though I do not use them personally despite pressure from many for me to join, I think such services are just there to satisfy the exhibitionism need of the modern wired generation. So as as shred web developer I worked with once told me: “There was Friendster, Myspace, Youtube, Multiply, now Facebook, you can’t go wrong satisfying the age of exhibitionism now on the web”. And that seems to be true, with an explosion of social networking sites saturating the web like never seen before, came the first Facebook elections, opposition online campaigns in Malaysia to various online scandals in China we see today.
Like it or not, with so much power to reach out the masses on the net now comes great responsibility- one must practice restraint. I once read chirpily on an article on the Straits Times on people who tweet or use the notorious “what are you doing now” field on Facebook as if they’ve hard wired their chain of thought right into the internet- everything from brushing your teeth in the morning to even voicing opinions or secrets that may possibility sow discord among people.
I was once asked in an interview about the compel-lance of one to blog or voice out to the world, just like you know, whether do bloggers for example see blogging as an activity only when there is a time for it or one which have to be fueled like feeding an addiction. I guess it all boils down to restraint.
Restraint is a skill I guess needs to be nurtured not only to protect the privacy of others but yours as well including your rights. Technologically wise, it’s just to easy to snap and upload any content instantly. Psychologically-wise, I guess there is still much work to be done. I recalled being asked on razor TV once on the need of self-moderation as a blogger, personally I guess it just boils down to the nature and the stand of your blog and intended audiences and your ability to handle the consequences beyond your actions. So say, if you are writing a political blog, so be it only if you can make your stand, justify them accordingly and prepare for the flak which follows. The same goes for blogs of other nature such as those requiring critique or reviews. The funny thing is that words are mighty as it is and interpretations only lie in the eyes of the interpreter. Taking Obama’s latest remark on the Jay Leno show few days ago, obviously he wasn’t making a direct comparison of his bowling score with the special Olympics, but many do not think otherwise.
Just as the saying goes “empty vessels make the loudest noise”. I ponder whether such sayings are very much applicable on the internet age now.
