Publish, Then Filter

In his book, Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky presents the presents the idea of “publish, then filter.” To many in the writing industry, this may sound a bit absurd, as the standard is to always filter, or edit, before publishing, to ensure a perfectly put together piece of work. But today, many of the people publishing are not professionals; therefore do not abide by the standard rules of journalism or publishing. And not everything on the web has educational or intellectual value, but isn’t that what we love about it?

In reading his work, I understand where Shirky is coming from and think his point makes excellent sense, however I would like to span from the theory in my own direction. The beauty of the Internet is that the blogging world has emerged. With this, anyone who is anyone can publish their thoughts and ideas. Grandma Sue can blog about her cat while her nephew Bill blogs about the Mets. It allows every average Joe to become a mini celebrity. I honestly felt celebrity status when I got my first Twitter follower. Granted, it was my boyfriend, since then I have gained followers consistently and it makes me feel like someone is listening; like my writing isn’t a total waste.

When Shirky discusses the amateur writing and how the emergence of “publish, then filter” has come about, he explains that not everything on the web is for us. Many of what is being written has been written for other people, but this is where I disagree.

In my own experience, the phone is still a useful tool for conveying and sharing information. The Internet has proved a tool for sharing this information even further. An example of a communication transaction that occurred this weekend works perfectly for this situation. My friends and I went to a local bar on Friday night, which was filled with familiar faces. Beers were drank, stories were told, laughs were had. The next day, my friend Eileen and I were texting back and forth, rehashing the previous night, as we always do. While in the process of texting her, I realize that a comment has been left on my Facebook wall. It’s from Eileen! Surely whatever she is about to say online, would have had the same effect through a text message?

The point was, Eileen had something to say that was directed at me, but intended for others to read. If she had simply intended it for me, and me alone, she could have continued the thread of text messaging. However, she made a conscious decision to upload it to the Internet, allowing everyone of my “friends” to read her hilarious moment from the night before.

In this sense, I think Shirky has exaggerated his theory. Yes, many conversations that occur on the Internet are meant for certain people’s eyes only. However, there are many cases in which the information is uploaded for an ounce of fame, hoping others will read it.