August 20, 2004
While writing the English Ed’s site’s description of the Blog project, I came across this marvelous passage by George Packer. It introduces his article, “The Revolution Will Not Be Blogged,” published in the May/June issue of Mother Jones. I like Packer’s ambivalence. The article explores the nature of blog reading more than blog writing (and blog reading in the sphere of political journalism), with some nicely subtle shades of positives and negatives:
To see beyond their own little world and get a sense of what’s really going on, journalists and readers need to get out of their pajamas.
First, a confession: I hate blogs. I’m also addicted to them. Hours dissolve into nothing when I suit up and dematerialize into the political blogosphere, first visiting one of the larger, nearer online opinion diaries — talkingpointsmemo.com, andrewsullivan.com, kausfiles.com — then beaming myself outward along rays of pixelated light to dozens of satellites and lesser stars, Calpundit, InstaPundit, OxBlog, each one radiant with links to other galaxies — online newspapers and magazines with deep, deep archives, think-tank websites, hundred-page electronic reports in PDF — until I’m light-years from the point of departure and can rescue myself only by summoning the will to disconnect from the whole artificial universe. With a jolt, I land in front of my computer. Before long I’ll venture forth again to see what’s new out there — because the blogosphere changes from instant to instant.