Feeding the Ego
Apr. 15th, 2004 01:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
orikesI’m really a little fascinated with this whole Live Journal thing. When I got back in touch with Julie after disappearing from MU*ing, she asked me if I did the whole LJ thing and I just looked at her blankly. It wasn’t until someone pointed me to a Crucible City related one that I even created an account. Now I’m actually posting to mine.
There’s such an interesting contradiction about the whole thing. The very first definition for journal on dictionary.com is “A personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis; a diary.” Key emphasis on ‘personal’. It’s an exercise not meant to be shared with an audience, or even written with that audience in mind. But the internet gives you the whole world as your audience (to a certain degree) and every personal tidbit you place in your ‘live’ journal ends up available for the consumption of the masses.
Well, not really, but the opportunity is there, at least.
Probably one of the reasons the Live Journal has become a phenomenon is because we all like to talk about ourselves. Even the most selfless person will has at least some degree of self-interest in their personality. Here is an outlet for people to go on and on about their own interests and lives and friends and acquaintances can read (or not) at their own discretion. It’s an opportunity to feed the hunger for attention with a little less noise.
I like the idea of writing for an audience. I’ve never thought I’m good enough to do it professionally. My grammar is a little off sometimes, and I think my words tend to trip over one another sometimes. But, when it comes down to it, my ego cheers me on with each post here.
It’s even waving pom-poms right now.
There’s such an interesting contradiction about the whole thing. The very first definition for journal on dictionary.com is “A personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis; a diary.” Key emphasis on ‘personal’. It’s an exercise not meant to be shared with an audience, or even written with that audience in mind. But the internet gives you the whole world as your audience (to a certain degree) and every personal tidbit you place in your ‘live’ journal ends up available for the consumption of the masses.
Well, not really, but the opportunity is there, at least.
Probably one of the reasons the Live Journal has become a phenomenon is because we all like to talk about ourselves. Even the most selfless person will has at least some degree of self-interest in their personality. Here is an outlet for people to go on and on about their own interests and lives and friends and acquaintances can read (or not) at their own discretion. It’s an opportunity to feed the hunger for attention with a little less noise.
I like the idea of writing for an audience. I’ve never thought I’m good enough to do it professionally. My grammar is a little off sometimes, and I think my words tend to trip over one another sometimes. But, when it comes down to it, my ego cheers me on with each post here.
It’s even waving pom-poms right now.