I've heard more than one person rant about the fact that they used to be able to write at least one decent or, at the very least, pretty long-winded post in their blogs in a week. Nowadays, though, people simply tend to stare at the screen for too long before reducing all the things swimming through their heads into a simple status update, if not a note or something even shorter.
This effectively preserves all the vagueness a longer piece of writing cannot, for the longer your writing, the more your are bound to say, and this applies even if you're saying the same thing over and over again but with different words. Thus, more of the mystery is preserved, which requires more creativity on the reader's attempt at interpretation. This goes two ways: either the reader concedes that he/she does not know enough and disregards the piece, or the reader forms in their mind a scenario which may be applicable to what you have written, but which may or may not be correct.
What does this compression of thought bode for us, then? Does this mean that we are more economical with our words nowadays, that we can't be bothered to write more than a sentence or two because doing so would be a waste of time and thinking effort? Does this mean that we, as readers, are more impatient because of this entire phenomenon, and it simply carried over to our writing? Does this mean that our thinking itself has already been affected, that we are already thinking in compartmentalized fragments without intending to do so?
Enlighten me, please. Any thoughts, no matter how long or short, will do.
i think we all agree that it started because of this micro blogging stuff that became immensely popular in the recent year or so.
ReplyDeleteeverything's just so fast paced these days, everyone wants to make the most out of their time. multi-tasking is the new in thing. what's funny is, its not like everyone's really busy with important things, like stuff that will change the world, or stuff that will make them richer. everyone's simply busy trying to keep up with everyone.
i guess a lot of people are going for quantity over quality these days. the shorter their thoughts, the more they can think about. readers did get impatient; writers simply made sure they would still be read by writing shorter.
first to comment. again.:p
ReplyDeletenot much of a writer but i do love to read :)
I love this part. You put it into words beautifully. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder what having a "Like" button does to you, because you can simply like something (anything, for that matter) without the repercussions of, say, writing an actual reply down (bad phrasing, ambiguity, etc.). It's funny when you see people comment, "It's a shame there's no 'Like' button on Multiply." rather than outright say that they like something.
Wala lang. :D
And BTW don't worry about the first comment thing, I don't have many friends here on Multiply nowadays because they're all on Fezbook.
haha i think i blogged once that i wish there were a like button in multiply.
ReplyDeletei think the like button is a euphemism for "no comment." liking something means you acknowledge that it exists, but you really don't care enough about it to say anything.
same here, which is why i LOVE when people comment. or when i comment and people reply.
ReplyDeletei just love how private multiply is that you're actually free to say anything. i notice the replies in multiply are lengthier than the ones on facebook. i don't know if this happens to you but i have this self-censorship thing in facebook. dunno why, i just feel like i have to.
Because in Multiply you actually have to write something down. And that makes comments all the more worth their weight. :P
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, Facebook's a bit too open at times. I mean, parents would probably never think of making a Multiply account. Hehe.
True. I just don't like the idea of people trying to escape the obligation of actually writing something in their own words via simply "liking" it.
ReplyDeletemy mom has facebook AND multiply.
ReplyDeletebut she's okay. its my other relatives on facebook that bothers me. at least they dont have multiply :)
At least. Heck, I don't want to add my Mom and Dad on Multiply.
ReplyDeleteApir to hannah’s point.
ReplyDeleteQuickies are good, fun and exciting, especially if done in random. Like what you said, it subjects the participants, both the reader and the author to many levels of meanings.
But repeated quickies, just like any other quickie, eventually becomes boring. Meaning escapes it, reducing it into mere words and babbles just like a deflated balloon devoid of air.
I can smell the innuendo from wayyyy over here. Haha.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, you're right, things are getting boring. And this is why some of us are trying to go back to what we got used to back then. "Kinasanayan", in short. :P