Meaning in Moby

Blog posts so far:

• Call Me Oatmeal Proposes topics for introductory material
• Answer Your Own Questions Things about Heidi.
• The Machine Had some problems with the video viewed in class. It looks pretty and is an interesting way of presenting an essay, but did not find the content radically insightful. 
• Enter Starbuck Our team mascot is in the book now! 
• Other Uses Interested in the common man's ability to create very polished products using technology that has filtered down. Uses Adobe Illustrator as an example. Also mentions how unusual niche communities can appear, such as creators of "chiptune" music. 
• Oh the Whiteness Discusses the significance of the color white in certain passages of Moby Dick. 
• Science for Science's Sake Maybe Moby Dick really is just about a whale, okay?
• Credibility Artists with a presence online can move into more traditional print forms after gaining a following. This is a great way to allow someone publicity who might otherwise stay obscure. 
• Reconciling Digital Connection with A Life Outside My Basement Online collaboration is great, but sometimes I find there is no substitution for face-to-face interaction. 

I think that the last two posts I've written have really expressed my current relationship with digital culture. As tech-savvy as I like to think I am, I'm actually very resistant to certain trends and ideas. Twitter is the best example of this. I have firmly believed since it came out that it is the biggest waste of time on the face of the planet. I'm also not fond of smart-phones, which keep people glued to them constantly and allow old women to show you pictures of their grandchildren on-the-go, unwarranted or not. Another big thing is trying to share unfinished ideas online and publish professional content online. (Does this not spoil the content for a potential "real" publisher?)

I realized after remembering a big project of mine from a few years back that part of the reason I've been resistant to the ideas of sharing big ideas through social media is because I had a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to share a big idea. I was frustrated with the medium and have turned to more traditional ways of refining my work. This doesn't have to mean that I give up on blogging, though. I'm still exploring.

Although I'm resistant to the idea that blogging will replace some traditional means of sharing information, I'm growing more used to it. Really the current means of sharing ideas in academia are indeed prehistoric and could use the same vivacity we assign to social media. I'm resistant to the idea that Twitter is worthwhile in any way, but seeing how General Conference ideas are shared through Twitter has been really eye opening for me. There is a place for this kind of sharing and in class we've talked about how it makes a bigger impact in certain ways.

Even though I don't warm up to ideas right away, I think it's most important that I'm being exposed to them. A million English classes later and I may still never like Transcendentalism. A million tweets later I may still find no use in Twitter.

I guess my question is whether it's best to integrate your content online in every way you can find possible to give your work more exposure or whether you ought to concentrate on making quality content for just a few different platforms. Is it silly to stick with traditional mediums when there are newer, "better" online methods? Does it make any sense to continue putting out traditional posters and billboards?