The weekend is almost here, so why not temper the brief optimism that brings by reading about this grim, probably mostly accurate future for the Internet?
Then, they will do a whole lot of what they already do, according to the demands of their new venues. They will report news and tell stories and post garbage and make mistakes. They will be given new metrics that are both more shallow and more urgent than ever before; they will adapt to them, all the while avoiding, as is tradition, honest discussions about the relationship between success and quality and self-respect.
I don’t wanna watch the new Star Wars movie a year from now and see fucking Nyan Cat go zooming across the screen just because one Disney exec asked for a viral element.
Continuing on along the same vaguely depressing road, here's a jaundiced and also accurate view of the proliferation of manufactured viral content.
When a thought lord (or “thought captain”) such as myself helps a brand trend, blogs tend to “warp” to contain the thoughts (“brand milk”) that I have made them drink (“consumerate”). Please do not suggest making “brand milkshakes.” Not only is this immensely dangerous, this is actually illegal.
If you want to get the inside take on how contemporary PR works, thought priest Ed Zitron lays it all out here. If you want to get in touch with Ed I hear you can contact him on Updog.
If you prefer your Internet thinkpieces in verse form, here's the best poem about the Internet published so far this year. To be honest, it's the only poem about the Internet I've read this year.
Worth Pondering
Eye Candy
Norwegian Landscapes by Jakub Polomski
Totally Confused
Snooping on Google, snooping on journos, livestreaming lunch, mystery microbes and record labels don't change.
Finally, read Ursula Le Guin on the Future Of The Left and marvel at her concise clarity. Still amazing at 86.
Yours etc., @loughlin
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