Why do people like blogs? Why do people like podcasts? I think the driving force behind many of the burgeoning and established popular Internet trends is because the power of creativity falls into the hands of the people. The Internet is an interactive medium; you can put your opinion out there, and people can disagree all they want, but it's still out there for them to read- like it or not. The choice to become a part of the Internet - and, if your opinion is true and interesting, shape the Internet - is the power of independant media, constantly changing and involving, that gives users a true feeling of belonging. While most of conventional media is controlled by others, with no way of reaching through the T.V. and putting yourself in it, the Internet is what you want it to be. That's why your not just on the Internet - your in the Internet. The independant content creators, which is nearly everyone at one point or another, contribute at least a single valuable piece of information, and if it sticks, it will be floating out there in the web forever - an archive of you. The best websites - digg.com and ebay to name a few - rely completely and solely from user input to function. This is where the next generation of websites will take it a step further, the so called "web 2.0" Internet destinations, assuming they deliver the interactivity and community belonging that they should, could change the way we think about the Internet. Websites have changed - where they were once impassive, static pages, we now have communities - where you can connect with people around the world who have a similar interest to you. Which brings me to why I'm even writing this - because I can. I'm demonstrating a point. I can publish what I want, when I want, because this is the future of media - the people do what the people want. Even terrorists have websites, although this really highlights one of the core problems with this "free media" philosophy. Hating individuals can spread their message of despise across the world, and have it immortalized forever - an open forum for lunatics and murders. So - should their be some control over what is posted on someones blog? Or is it their right? The ethics behind the independant Internet are often questionable. But one thing is certainly for sure - it is truly a people-driven network.
