Ego Monsters
Like I Care
By Michael Kinsley
Tuesday, November 28, 2006; A19
The first person I knew who had a Web site of his own was a fellow Washington journalist. This was when many journalists were still just getting into e-mail, but the URL for this Web site quickly circulated around town and around the world. Why? Well, we were all impressed by the technological savvy. But we were absolutely astounded by the solipsism. What on earth had gotten into Joe (not his real name)? This was a modest, soft-spoken and self-effacing fellow, yet his Web site portrayed him as an egotistical monster.
Or so it seemed at the time. All of the elements that struck us as obnoxious maybe eight years ago no longer seem that way. In fact, they are now virtually required for any writer's Web site. The Web address, of course, was his name: JoeJournalist.com. It's hard to recapture why even that seemed pretentious. But it did. Then there was his deadpan list of books he'd written and awards he'd won. And quotes from other journalists about how wonderful he is. It all seemed totally out of character and terribly immodest. Poor Joe! Had the World Wide Web driven him crazy?
If so, we are all crazy now. There is something about the Web that brings out the ego monster in everybody. It's not just the well-established tendency to be nasty. When you write for the Web, you open yourself up to breathtakingly vicious vitriol. People wish things on your mother, simply for bearing you, that you wouldn't wish on Hitler.
3 Comments:
I've struggled with this recently. I started my blog to chronicle my work in Africa and then I had to take it down. But then I started the new one and sometimes I am not sure why really. :o(
It's a sticky wicket, Treacle.
Haho...I've been wanting to say that to you. I'm a bad man.
The funny thing about blogs is how people so badly want a big audience, and pull their hair out and jump through hoops to reach new eyeballs.
I'm happy with the few people that drop by here occasionally. Blogs can function as different things, and some deserve a large audience, but this one was built to serve as a log of my personal slog through the internet. I post what I find interesting, and keep handy for possible future reference.
If anyone else finds it worthwhile, that's great, but the real blog part of this kind of blog is in the comments.
I'm thankful for your blogging, Treacle, it offered me a chance to get to know you a bit.
Cheers!
LMAO Indigo.
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