Friday, July 30, 2010

News Flash: I Have Nothing to Say

I have nothing to say that would not be of an overly personal nature for my taste, even though it seems social media requires a confessional frame of mind.

Perhaps the fact I have nothing to say is a statement in itself?

First, I am involved in enough actual things in the real world that they in fact consume too much of my time for me to spend any more of it online than I really have to.

Second, I am increasingly disenchanted with the notion of social media as it relates to the creation of content.

Let me explain.

Yes, you get free publishing. Isn't that what you always wanted? Of course it is. But did you know you don't own what you create? Even these words are technically owned by a giant corporation called Google. And when Google gets bought by a far more evil branch of the empire, it will be owned by them. And they will probably try to sue you if you want to use your own creations in your own way, later on in life (just kidding!).

Finally, I believe--and have long believed--there is too much content in the world anyway. Social media is really the last thing we need. Is there any hope that a great work of art will be created out of the social media milieux? Somehow I doubt it. And if works of art are not at least compelling, they are in the end deeply annoying. This is because, as objects, they compete with non-art objects, which almost always have a much more richly detailed past and present--even a small piece of stone has been bonking around for millions of years before you happen to have picked it up; and therefore is imbued with a certain natural energy that none but the most compelling works of man or woman can hope to attain.

Perhaps this sounds awfully precious.

But this is mostly because I have nothing to say. And because my cat is pushing a baseball towards my keyboard.