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The Cult of the Amateur (Or Why The Blogosphere Sucks)
New York Times ^
| 29 June 2007
| By MICHIKO KAKUTANI
Posted on 06/30/2007 11:52:46 AM PDT by shrinkermd
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This is a book review of Mr. Keen's book. It can serve as an introduction to a book that seems well worth purchasing.
To: shrinkermd
"when ignorance meets egoism meets bad taste meets mob rule." Sounds like Mr. Keen is just playing defense for the slowly dying NYT, whose operating paradigm for many decades now has been "when ignorance meets egoism meets bad taste meets left-wing political agenda".
2
posted on
06/30/2007 11:55:45 AM PDT
by
Joe Brower
(Sheep have three speeds: "graze", "stampede" and "cower".)
To: shrinkermd
Whereas historians and journalists traditionally strived to deliver the best available truth possibleNow that is funny!
3
posted on
06/30/2007 11:57:30 AM PDT
by
Sherman Logan
(It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.)
To: shrinkermd
The author of said book, Andrew Keen, sounds like your run of the mill elitist.
4
posted on
06/30/2007 11:57:38 AM PDT
by
SpaceBar
To: shrinkermd
When ignorance meets egoism meets bad taste meets mob rule. That's BDS
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To: shrinkermd
>> introduction to a book that seems well worth purchasing.
Huh? It sounds like the ramblings of an elitist whining about his loss of control of the information people are “allowed” to consume.
Why would I want to pay good money for his flawed views?
To: shrinkermd
when ignorance meets egoism meets bad taste meets mob rule.
yeah, i try to avoid Democrat Party Conventions too.
7
posted on
06/30/2007 12:00:02 PM PDT
by
pacelvi
To: shrinkermd
The bloggers have no style manual. They don’t know for instance that educated pressies use the incorrect word cement when the correct english word is concrete
8
posted on
06/30/2007 12:01:18 PM PDT
by
bert
(K.E. N.P. +12 . Happiness is a down sleeping bag)
To: Sherman Logan
"...best available truth...",
as opposed to the "somewhat good avilable truth"?
9
posted on
06/30/2007 12:03:15 PM PDT
by
A Navy Vet
(In perpetuum sacramentum)
To: shrinkermd
Mr. Keen argues that what the Web 2.0 revolution is really delivering is superficial observations of the world around us rather than deep analysis, shrill opinion rather than considered judgment.
The MSM isn't known for their 'deep analysis' and 'considered judgement' IMO.
10
posted on
06/30/2007 12:03:38 PM PDT
by
kinoxi
Comment #11 Removed by Moderator
To: shrinkermd
Mr. Keen argues that what the Web 2.0 revolution is really delivering is superficial observations of the world around us rather than deep analysis, shrill opinion rather than considered judgment.
Nonsense. What the Web 2.0 revolution is really delivering is more of both, unfiltered by media elites. If you want penetrating analysis, there are plenty of bloggers who can provide it, often bettering the work of the deep thinkers on the pages of the NY Times or the Washington Post. If you're looking for a shrill echo chamber of your own deeply held beliefs, you can find that too, just as anyone could find it on the pages of Mother Jones or the National Review back when there was no Internet.
In any event, such criticisms are pointless. The Internet is here and will not go away. Expressing points of view to a large audience is no longer the privilege of a few columnists. Every American can now make his views known to a vast audience regarding, for example, a horrible immigration bill, and the consequences for the nation are overwhelmingly positive for anyone who believes in democracy.
Comment #13 Removed by Moderator
To: shrinkermd
By stealing away our eyeballs, the blogs and wikis are decimating the publishing, music and news-gathering industries that created the original content those Web sites aggregate.One of the most ridiculous claims I've ever seen.
The "music industry" and the "publishing industry" never created any music or literary work. They are merely distribution mechanisms that siphon off the vast majority of the income from the actual content-producers.
Now that a superior distribution mechanism is available, there is at least a potential that true musicians, artists and writers may be able to make a decent living by absorbing all of the income from a much smaller audience, while wildly popular content-producers become wealthy literally overnight. Although a mechanism for funding this remains to be developed.
Does anybody have even a notion about how many good or great artists, musicians and writers of the last 100 years were never heard of because they couldn't get to the public past the gatekeepers? The same guys who rejected James Herriot 44 times and JK Rowling 12 times.
IOW, what has the opportunity cost of all these gatekeepers been?
14
posted on
06/30/2007 12:08:01 PM PDT
by
Sherman Logan
(It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.)
To: shrinkermd
Yes, by all means, it is better to have the experts think for us. What were we thinking?
15
posted on
06/30/2007 12:08:22 PM PDT
by
Lorianne
To: Joe Brower; shrinkermd
This book review is another example of intellectual masturbation by folks who hold the same world view as the Editors of the
NY Times. They think that communication should be left to the professionals (like them), just as politics should be left to the professions (like Lott and Kennedy), and that business should be left to the professionals (like Soros and sometimes Gates).
This is an electronic version of the American Revolution and the Editors of the Times are the Tories who have not yet realized they have to either change their ways, or flee to New Brunswick, in Canada.
I think they are to clueless to change their ways. So, I hope they like the weather in Canada.
Congressman Billybob
Latest article, "Death by Talk Radio: the Amnesty Bill"
To: shrinkermd
"This is a book review of Mr. Keen's book. It can serve as an introduction to a book that seems well worth purchasing." Whatever for?? His "thesis" is already disproven, by "l'affair Rather" started right here on Free Republic. While he may be correct that the output/opinion of any single blogger is "amateurish" (but beware of those hidden experts out there)--when enough of those tidbits are collected and refined, the final output cannot be matched, even in depth, by that of a single expert.
17
posted on
06/30/2007 12:12:00 PM PDT
by
Wonder Warthog
(The Hog of Steel-NRA)
To: Congressman Billybob
Interesting perspective, Congressman. As always, your comments are insightful and spot-on.
As for them liking the weather in Canada, I'd add to that "and standing in bread lines". $;-)
18
posted on
06/30/2007 12:12:15 PM PDT
by
Joe Brower
(Sheep have three speeds: "graze", "stampede" and "cower".)
To: shrinkermd
Elitists are beside themselves about their loss of control. As we've seen this past week they have only the
illusion of control. They're as naked as the Wizard Of Oz. So they lash out at those beneath them for having the effrontery to tell THEM what to do. Gotta love that snobbish mindset. Things are changing for the better.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
19
posted on
06/30/2007 12:12:53 PM PDT
by
goldstategop
(In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
To: A Navy Vet
Read a 500 post thread on a controversial topic here on FR, and I guarantee you will have a better understanding of the issue than you will get by watching a one-hour documentary about it on PBS.
The main weakness of FR in this regard is the preaching to the choir effect on most subjects. Which is why those topics that conservatives differ amongst ourselves on are the most interesting to read.
20
posted on
06/30/2007 12:13:46 PM PDT
by
Sherman Logan
(It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.)
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