I'm expressing myself! On the Internet!
Well, it finally happened. I broke down and got a blog. At first I was skeptical of the whole blog idea and somewhat turned off by its similarities to the much maligned MySpace. I have never been a big fan of that teeming pit of media for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost, MySpace means teenagers. And teenagers suck. Nothing personal to you minors out there, but the age group collectively falls short for me. Teenagers are largely self-centered. Teenagers don't understand how life works. Teenagers are loud. And obnoxious. Especially in groups. Teenagers feel the need to let everyone know they exist, while failing to realize that no one who hasn't seen or dreamt of seeing them naked cares that they exist. These characteristics vary only slightly for those in my age group, but I'm talking about teenagers, dammit.
Additionally, where there are teenagers, there is over expression. MySpace, by allowing users to fully customize their profile pages, has provided an outlet for all this teen spirit. A few years ago, LiveJournal posters were quite happy with the provided template and the occasional variance in text color that the site allowed. A typical MySpace page these days has an oversized image of Heath Ledger in the background which obscures the already difficult to read pale white text, inexplicably WrItTEn LIkE tHiS. An embedded video file plays the new Lindsay Lohan video while pictures of the user and her BFFs scroll across the page. I can go scoop myself a tasty bowl of ice cream in the time it takes a page to fully load. This is actually a good thing, though, because after what seems an eternity of waiting, we get to experience what I really, truly dislike about MySpace. I'm talking about the journal entries. And what goes better with a sad story than ice cream and a good cry?
A diary entry can be many things, but one thing it should not be is public. The real problem with these journals is that most of them are just public diaries. Feelings get hurt, friends feel betrayed, and it's all out there on the internet where you can't take it back. It's just not something with which I want to associate. Instead, I have a blog.
First and foremost, MySpace means teenagers. And teenagers suck. Nothing personal to you minors out there, but the age group collectively falls short for me. Teenagers are largely self-centered. Teenagers don't understand how life works. Teenagers are loud. And obnoxious. Especially in groups. Teenagers feel the need to let everyone know they exist, while failing to realize that no one who hasn't seen or dreamt of seeing them naked cares that they exist. These characteristics vary only slightly for those in my age group, but I'm talking about teenagers, dammit.
Additionally, where there are teenagers, there is over expression. MySpace, by allowing users to fully customize their profile pages, has provided an outlet for all this teen spirit. A few years ago, LiveJournal posters were quite happy with the provided template and the occasional variance in text color that the site allowed. A typical MySpace page these days has an oversized image of Heath Ledger in the background which obscures the already difficult to read pale white text, inexplicably WrItTEn LIkE tHiS. An embedded video file plays the new Lindsay Lohan video while pictures of the user and her BFFs scroll across the page. I can go scoop myself a tasty bowl of ice cream in the time it takes a page to fully load. This is actually a good thing, though, because after what seems an eternity of waiting, we get to experience what I really, truly dislike about MySpace. I'm talking about the journal entries. And what goes better with a sad story than ice cream and a good cry?
A diary entry can be many things, but one thing it should not be is public. The real problem with these journals is that most of them are just public diaries. Feelings get hurt, friends feel betrayed, and it's all out there on the internet where you can't take it back. It's just not something with which I want to associate. Instead, I have a blog.
posted by Mark at 9:34 PM
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