future projects and responses to the reading

Clay Shirky's article, Power Laws, Weblogs, and Inequality, made me think about weblogging in an entirely different light. Shirky discusses the politics of the internet, saying, "Not everyone gets to be heard. Some core group seems more connected than the rest of us . . . (1)He also makes the claim that, "Diversity plus freedom of choice creates inequality, and the greater the diversity, the more extreme the inequality,"(1). I've never thought about blogging, and whose blog is the most popular as a social hierarchy.

 My interpretation of the article is  probably not how the article was meant to be read, but to suggest another argument, compare the politics of weblogging to American society-they are remarkably similar right?The more diverse a culture we are, the more conflict and struggle we endure. The increase of people who are now entering online space creates a higher degree of inequality.  Why do we perpetuate the social hierarchy within our physical culture as well as online - through weblogging. Does this comparison make sense to others?

In the regard to final projects - I really haven't thought about it too much in specifics. I really liked the process of making a movie. The entire experience was such a beneficial learning experience for me, and helped me master the material in an entirely different way. Some points which were addressed in "Ispy" concerning governmental monitoring really intrigued me. For instance, google checking your email, and datamining were all subjects of interest to me. In addition, I really responded to the claim that the internet was not a place for action, maybe proving through film how the internet is a form of activism would be an interesting topic for a final project. 

-Anna-