Why are there thousands of blogs?
Why of those thousands of blogs do most of them consist of a recap of the author's life?
What need are blogs filling in people?

Celebrities who our society worships go through great trouble to keep their life private. Does hanging your life out for all to see give people a sense of being a celebrity?

The authors of blogs get to choose what information they share about their lives. Are we preempting others asking hard questions by controlling the direction of the conversation?

Online communities such as MySpace and Facebook connect you to hundreds or thousands of people just like you. So that you can exchange links and tally the number of people who want to know you. Is this our substitute for real community? What about the online gaming communities like World of Warcraft? Is it a place to play a game or a substitute for real community?

I spend lots of time on this blog recommending music. Am I just hoping that my opinion matters to someone?

I use it as a forum to talk about the things God is talking to me about and visa versa... but how much of it comes up in my real live friendships? Even something that seems noble to me - becoming a better writer and communicator, sharing what God is teaching me in hopes that it will help someone - is it actually just scratching an itch to matter? Assuming that said itch is God-give, is this blog satisfying that itch?

I look at the world around me and I see lots of alcohol and not a lot of meaningful conversations or memories you'll cherish when you're older. I see lots of casual sex but few committed relationships that challenge each other to grow and really know each other.

I can't decide if technology is enabling people to be a part of a global community, blogs helping people to be vulnerable in life-giving ways (and giving introverts a voice), or if we're just nursing a sea of surface-level friendships and taking an easy alternative to something hard like being vulnerable and real in the name of getting the world off our backs.

Is the Web 2.0 the community God had in mind?

Labels: Favorites, Jesus