3.06.2004
zizek and weblogs
i'm reading slavoj zizek's the plague of fantasies, and the other day i stumbled across a bit i thought was worth placing in this context:
(from page 130 of the verso edition in the link)
One should adopt towards cyberspace a 'conservative' attitude, like that of Chaplin vis-รก-vis sound in cinema: Chaplin was far more than usually aware of the traumatic impact of the voice as a foreign intruder on our perception of cinema. In the same way, today's process of transition allows us to perceive what we are losing and what we are gaining - this perception will become impossible the moment we fully embrace, and feel fully at home in, the new technologies. In short, we have the privilege of occupying the place of 'vanishing mediators'.
i'm not neccessarily in complete agreement with this, but i thought the idea of "vanishing mediators" is a good one, and worth considering in relation to a weblog. for a more optimistic-- and equally engaging-- assessment of what it means to be doing what i'm doing as i type this, i urge you to read this.
(from page 130 of the verso edition in the link)
One should adopt towards cyberspace a 'conservative' attitude, like that of Chaplin vis-รก-vis sound in cinema: Chaplin was far more than usually aware of the traumatic impact of the voice as a foreign intruder on our perception of cinema. In the same way, today's process of transition allows us to perceive what we are losing and what we are gaining - this perception will become impossible the moment we fully embrace, and feel fully at home in, the new technologies. In short, we have the privilege of occupying the place of 'vanishing mediators'.
i'm not neccessarily in complete agreement with this, but i thought the idea of "vanishing mediators" is a good one, and worth considering in relation to a weblog. for a more optimistic-- and equally engaging-- assessment of what it means to be doing what i'm doing as i type this, i urge you to read this.
