Earlier today I spent a little time reviewing the people I follow through the various social networks, and re-visited the continual search for the new, and the interesting. Something occurred to me (or rather, annoyed me intensely) that’s been nagging away at me all day…
Why does everybody have to be an “expert” ? Why does every other blog or twitter account have to be something to do with marketing, or selling, or “new media”, or “social” ?
What happened to real people, with real stories, and real views on real subjects? What happened to people telling their story of their day, sharing candid photos, and being themselves?
Why does everything have to have some kind of “professional” angle?
I’m wondering if I have become a throwback to an earlier generation. I was here before the web existed, and remember playing with Mosaic in it’s earliest days. I remember LiveJournal becoming “the place to write”, and the emergence of WordPress.
Perhaps there is a generation shift going on - the first generation (of which I might count myself a member) seemed far more idealistic, open, and communal. People shared more, commented more, and engaged more. The coming generation seem to be more about shouting their story, and listening to nobody. They have no interest in anybody except themselves.
I guess all we can do is carry on - keep writing, keep sharing, and perhaps show the way. The hipsters are probably too busy admiring themselves and shouting from their soap-boxes to notice anyway. One day they will look back on the legacy they have built, and perhaps regret how shallow and self interested it is.