It’s not the infographics on the page that interest me, rather it’s the trend of emphasizing a user’s popularity on the network. Lamentably, I think this metric will come to define the experience for the next generation of social networks. I fear that the internet’s utility for many people will equate to constant awareness of one’s value, and the play of meaningless games to increase the sum. This in turn will render many networks impersonal and irrelevant. Like a candidate’s bid speech for high school class presidency, I fear my Tumblr dashboard will become padded with ‘popular stuff’ sure to garner votes rather than the intimate, vulnerable and quirky bits that I’ve enjoyed, and define Tumblr’s personality.
I’m disappointed by Tumblarity, and Ashton’s follower count for the same reasons. I liked the Internet better when it was nebulous, and now I’m depressed that it shaping up to be a social pyramid.
A very important point from Zach. Like it or not, the online trend of ranking as a measure of self worth is here to stay….largely beacuse it’s not a new concept. Man is a self conscious being. Since the dawn of time, he has judged himself through the eyes of others. The internet simply amplifies this phenomenon.
That said, there are some, and always have been, that rise above the noise and have a sense of self that is transcendant. The scholar, philosopher, teacher, rabbi, priest, oracle, yogi — every culture, religion, creed has them. I’m not going to get into specific examples here, nor will I debate whether these archetypes truly transcend, but the *idea* is certainly prevalent. And oftentimes it is actually found in those that appear simplest in their desires — the farmer, the traveler, the proud grandfather.
Most will fall prey to the allure of online popularity (myself included). But we will increasingly need a break. An intimate, disconnected, personal space — a Sabbath of sorts, pick your form or fashion — that allows for time to think, breath and reflect.
And I wonder whether part of that space will be found on the web or will it need to be entirely divorced from it. I expect there to increasingly be a fair bit of ‘contra-innovation’ on the web around this notion of intimate spaces. Curious to see what bubbles up here.
reblogged from zachklein
