Reading about the availability of publishing to anyone and everyone is something that I have taken advantage of due to an opportunity presented to me.
I agree that the availability can create a lot of (pardon my language) crap on the Internet. But through all the bad, you will find quality material that you will enjoy reading if you truly search for it. Some people are truly capable writers or reporters but as the time has changed, social media presents an opportunity to those that may not normally get that opportunity. Speaking of which…
I write for a site called NYYUniverse. It’s a blog site about the New York Yankees. I had a love for writing and a love for baseball so when they were looking for writers, I hesitantly applied to see if I could be a part of it. Almost a year later, I have been writing on a nearly daily basis. Watching as our following grows and knowing that I’m getting more exposure. I watched the view counts increase on my entries about each and every game that takes place and there were even some comments, negative and positive, which I took. I will continue to try and improve and without the evolution of publication, I would not have seized this opportunity that may or may not evolve into something. I’m just glad I’ve got this experience.
I agree with you on your argument that availability can allow for unnecessary or even inappropriate publications. However, without the availability, we probably wouldn’t have some of the good sites that allow us to get more information.
I find this evolution that you’re commenting on extremely interesting. I read about this very same topic in Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody, and have also discussed it in my LIB 3040 class. It seems as though the line between professional and “amateur” publications is no longer as distinct and easy to recognize as it was in years past. I would have to agree with you that this change in media, and the way in which it’s presented, is more positive than it is negative. As you stated, yes, there is an unbelievable amount of published “crap” now easily available; however there is also a ton of quality publications that are just waiting to be read. One must simply know how to search effectively, in order to find pertinent information that can actually be of use to that particular individual.
Simply disregarding all of the beneficial results that this media evolution creates, in order to focus on the negative aspects is just silly, which leads me to relate this to Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid” that we read earlier in the semester. Yes, Google and the change in the internet’s layout/format has transformed the way we read, study, process, and perceive information. Yes, this might have some negative results on us. However, if you use the internet/Google effectively, you can push past all of said “crap” and use the internet to reap the benefits that this evolution has created.
Speaking of reaping benefits, I had no idea you wrote for NYYUniverse. I’ve been following them on Twitter for a while and read articles from the site pretty often. Without this media revolution, someone like yourself would never have been able to enjoy that opportunity because you’re not considered a true member of “the media” (a label that is also evolving, as well). Also without the evolution, someone like myself would have no choice but to stick to reading major, accredited publications to get sports information…again, there are definitely more positives than negatives.