The Internet

Sometimes I wonder about the 'net. No doubt it is a powerful and world changing creation, simply due to how much faster it makes it to share information and communicate. But when I see things like Time magazine naming "You" the Person of the Year because of how people have empowered themselves over the Internet, I pause.

When the film Snakes on a Plane was released, every news outlet remarked about how Internet fans were gathering together to celebrate its creation and release, how they even got parts of the film to change based on their wants. The Snakes phenomenon was amazing.

Then no one actually went to see the film. Not even most of the people who were swept up in the hype. Because that's all it really was, hype. Something people played along with because it was fun, but in truth they really didn't give a shit. Snakes on the Plane was a joke (I still saw it).

Or how about Youtube? Apparently its one of the biggest tools to give the Power to the People on the 'net. This is certainly possible if Youtube was filled with morons. Sadly, 90% of the content on the site is like this . How is this power over anything?

Web 2.0. Apparently we'll all be changed by social networking. Because we all know that we can't contact close friends in person, or on the phone, or via IM. No, now have put it all on seven different sites so our pals can see it that many times. Every time I go on Facebook I see people joining clubs that no one will ever care about, not even them. Revolution indeed.

How many times have we seen online petitions, and how many have actually done anything. How many bloggers actually have enough power to warrant the attention (and party invites) they sometimes get?

Maybe its not big deal in the end.