Reading Jon Stewart's spectacular William & Mary commencement address got
me to thinking about something. I'm too worked up both by the big cup of
coffee I'm drinking and my weekend plans -- which do in fact involve
a plane, a plan, and a surprise -- to think it through too much. I'll come
back to it later but here's what I'm thinking. We all know that the Internet (for lack of a broader thing to call it) has
changed everything. But what I think we may not yet fully appreciate that
it has really really changed everything. What got me thinking this is that
while I really do very much enjoy Jon Stewart, I rarely watch the Daily
Show -- far more often I'll watch the clips online on the Comedy Central
site. And these days I rarely watch the West Wing (when I'm not on it) for
the most part because it is a very bad program. Here's where it gets extra
crazy -- I regularly read the brilliant recaps on Television Without
Pity, not as a substitute, or even critique, but rather as stand-alone
entertainment. A fuller exploration of this "everything is so different
now" idea that might actually begin to make some cohesive sense could
include tons more non-television related examples -- just to start and off
of the top of my head right this second, the rapidity of the unfolding of
the Washingtonienne saga, Defamer's attempts to attach names to Ted
Casablanca's horrific little celebrity blind items, and the whole
moblogging thing. This make any sense?
7:15 PM
|
