Monika Blogwell

Ever since I started my blog I’ve become a lot more aware of what it means to play a part in the internet. I’ve begun comparing my blog to other blogs, and I worry more about what it means to have a “voice” lurking out there for the world to critique. It’s scary and it makes a self-conscious person like myself more self-consciouser-er….-er.

I guess this explains my absence the last few days. I’ve taken a couple days off not because I haven’t had things to say, but because I needed time to reflect. As much as I enjoy the company of my fellow bloggers and Facebook friends, this weekend I spent time with my face-to-face friends. I also enjoyed another creative medium: painting. I painted this.

I’ve been thinking a lot about social media lately and the way blogs and Twitter and Facebook give us a whole new way to interact. Forgive me for my soapbox platitudes here. While I love the liberty of being able to reconnect with people I meet almost in passing (or people I’ve never met at all), I hate the way these mediums give people the chance to voice their every cruel thought. I am a firm believer in free speech, but I think that the internet frequently gives us a chance to act without responsibility, to speak without thinking, to hurt without repercussion.

What would our lives be like if we didn’t know the whereabouts of the person we first kissed? Or if our high school reunion really answered the “where are they now” questions? Or if a friendship meant working to communicate by picking up the phone or writing a letter? Or if being mad at someone meant actually telling them how we really feel instead of clicking “remove from friends” (and we’ve all done it).

We can’t take it away now. And while I’m grateful for what the internet has allowed, I also recognize that like every good thing, it has its harsh limitations and an ugly side. I’m so lucky to have this ability to speak to you, dear reader, and I always welcome your comments (even if they are hard to take). I just hope that we don’t forget our good graces as we venture further out into the cybersphere. So if this were reality, I’d shake your hand and thank you for coming.